...no, not of the insect kind. I´ve been bitten by the home improvement bug, and it´s been taking up residence in the kitchen. After the venetian blind operation, I have had the occasion to take a good hard look at the decor in my flat. Which led me to notice some more things that could be improved on, namely, two containers I have used for collecting waste materials for recycling (it´s obligatory to recycle where I live, and you have to separate your waste before disposing of it).
These had been in use for some fifteen years, and the plastic they were made of had started to desintegrate, making them appear stained and dirty. Besides, the hinges on them were broken, so the lids kept falling off.
This weekend, a local container store advertised a big sale in American-style enamelled metal wastebins, and I managed to secure me two fire-engine-red beauties which match my existing leftover non-recyclable waste bin exactly, coming from the same manufacturer. The old plastic bins have already gone to the waste disposal themselves, and my kitchen has another big eyesore less.
The funny thing was that after setting up the new bins (I had to raise a shelf on the wall above them because they are a bit higher than the old ones), I found myself going on decluttering my kitchen, making room in the cupboards for some cups and glasses that had until now lived on an open shelf and getting rid, finally, of a big porcelain cup. That had been a present from my Granny, but it had a jagged, chipped-off edge just in the place where you put your lips when drinking. As it was just one of three matching cups, I still have another two exactly like it to remind me of Granny, and I have realized I´ll never again use the broken one. So, to the trash it goes.
What also did get weeded out was the remains of a china set that my grandparents had used a lot. Most of the pieces had gotten chipped in their dishwasher, there are no replacements available any more, so, after realizing that I did not even have enough undamaged pieces left for two place settings, I tossed the damaged pieces. Since the biggest plates of the set had a beautiful flower motive painted on them, I kept one of these (that had miraculously survived undamaged) and, using a plate hanger I also found, I have hung this in the kitchen as a wall decoration where it makes me smile every day and reminds me of many meals I have eaten off these plates with Granny. And the other ones I let go. Not facing that stack of broken china every time I open that cupboard sure feels good.
It seems to be right that hanging on to damaged items drags your energy down. They are, after all, nothing but clutter if they will never be either repaired or used. Getting rid of them frees up space and energy.
And I sure have better uses for both.
Julia
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