Oof. Today blindsided me.
Like, I knew I had a lot of appliances and baking supplies. I knew I probably didn’t need it all. (probably??? I think it’s safe to say, definitely.)
I started by pulling out my appliances. Not the ones built into my kitchen, but the waffle makers, crock pots, blenders, and spiralizers. The vacuum sealer from the year everyone in my family bought everyone else a vacuum sealer. The salad spinner, apple-peeler-corer-slicer and food mill. They were stashed in the kitchen, the hall closet, and the basement. I thought I might write about the instant pot I bought on a black Friday sale two years ago and have never used as anything but a crock pot.
And then I moved to my baking supplies, which are stored in the basement near a cabinet full of party supplies. Ooh, Party Supplies! I have often joked that my sister and I can throw together an event in a moment’s notice at any time with the stock of supplies we keep on hand. We could…and we have…numerous times. It’s fabulous. Until it’s not.
I realized in looking at my storehouses of supplies how I have moved from a posture of preparedness, to a posture of planning for failure. I’m no longer just planning ahead I’m preparing for a failure to plan ahead.
I know the stress of running through the scrapbook aisle of the craft store the day before a child’s English class scrapbook project is due, so for years I kept stocks of stickers and fancy papers in our desk.
I remember the stress of leaving for a party and realizing I never bought a card, so I keep a box full of assorted cards.
I’ve experienced the stress of finding a note in the bottom of a bookbag announcing the teacher appreciation breakfast Wednesday morning – on Tuesday night, so I keep stocks of muffin liners and party goods in school colors.
What should be living spaces have been co-opted for storage. Not due to reasonable cycles of planning ahead (like a second tube of toothpaste) but because I am literally planning for failure. Worse, I’m modeling this and enabling my kids not to plan.
Through my stockpiling I’m basically saying, it’s ok not to plan for these occasions, it’s ok not to give me notice of what’s coming up, there’s a safety net of random crap taking up space all over the house that will get us through. And the irony is, all that extra stuff around my house seeps in to take up room in my brain, to take up time stockpiling and organizing, making it harder to plan ahead appropriately.
It even seeped in and distracted this post. Ugh.
The waffle irons and instant pot stayed. I love Norwegian waffles and sausage kale soup (not together.)
A lot of the cupcake wrappers and other supplies which supported last-minute rescues joined the ever growing donate pile.
The self-reflection and resulting knowledge that came through today’s process, I hope it stays. Especially when I get to the party supplies.
Uncovering Real 