If everyone in the world were like me: museums would have a lot of empty space. First, I don’t save many things. I sometimes have trouble throwing things out. But I get over it sooner or later, and the things get gone. And second, stuff gets broken. I have wondered how heirlooms are a thing when nothing seems able to last through even one lifetime.
I have a few fragile things, a glass serving bowl and a crystal vase from 30 years ago, and a couple knickknacks from younger years, but these things are still around because I don’t use them. I even stopped unpacking some of them. There is an old plastic laundry bucket of mementos from my younger years on a self in the laundry room.
But one of my favorite old things is a cook pot. The first time I lived on my own, I was 28. I went to a thrift store and bought a set of kitchen pans for $40. Two saucepans, a frying pan, and a pot, all with lids and with brown and orange flowers. Crowning Touch porcelain enamel cookware in Harvest Blossom pattern. Over the years they have all gone by the wayside except for the pot. The saucepans had their handles broken off by repeated dropping, and I may have just tossed the frying pan. I grew up in the days of Teflon and never used it much.
Now I have two burly cast iron pans that live on the stovetop, weigh a ton, and are brutally scoured with a copper scrubby and no soap. I’ve taught the kids to dry them immediately after washing by turning the burner on med and setting the timer for 1 minute. It’s a joy to leave behind the days of “don’t use a metal spatula” and never worry about scratching the finish.
Growing up there were a few things my parents were calm about. We didn’t usually get in trouble for breaking a dish. That and he never complained about us take long showers. That might have been because his dad, when he thought they’d taken long enough, would shut off the hot water heater.
I remind myself to be calm when my kids break a dish or something. First thing, I ask them if they are okay. That is a quality I learned from Hubby. He can be short fused, but when he hears a crash, first thing he does is check whether everyone is okay. Brilliant! It makes me feel loved.
I also remind myself not to be too attached to these possessions. Sets of glasses will come and go throughout my life. And plates. I usually buy them at the dollar store in sets of 14. Then when it eventually gets to where we can’t set the table, I buy a new set. We are on set four through our 20-year marriage. I think I bumped it up this time to 16 plates. We have a big household.
But that will change. And I’d be glad someday if one of my kids thinks, someday in the future, that their mom didn’t make a fuss over her fancy broken China, but instead asked whether they were okay.
The Adventure of a Life 