Learning a New Kitchen

Did you ever have to move? Most people do. So many hard decisions and choices. What to take with, what to give away, what to throw away. Being a packrat, these choices and decisions were twice as hard for me, still I filled a 30 yard dumpster with things I really didn't need anymore. It was hard, some of those things had been with me for over twenty years, others were things left over from my kid's childhood, not really mementos, but still things that were very hard to part with. Everything had a memory attached. But I did it, made a lot of hard choices and parted with a lot of "stuff" that had far outlived it's usefulness. After all those choices and decisions comes the unpacking. Putting away all of the things that made it to the new place. The worst room of the house? The kitchen. After being in a kitchen for nine years I knew where everything was, I could assemble my ingredients and my tools in a matter of minutes. I knew which spices were behind which herbs and I had my most used tools and measures within my reach at the stove. I had ample counter space but could use it all pretty easily, I am not a clean cook. You KNOW when I've made dinner. I've heard it said you can tell a good cook by the messy kitchen. I must be a GREAT cook! Standing in my "new" kitchen, I say "new" because it is a very kitschy (haha) 1950's house and kitchen, I had trouble deciding where to put anything. It does have a lot of cupboards, but not quite as much or neatly laid out counter space. And there is the fact that I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to shelf paper, NOTHING goes into a drawer or cupboard without brand new shelf paper. There were a lot of drawers and shelves to line, it took forever, but even with all the space it has no spice carousel or convenient cupboard to put all my oils and vinegars and various sauces in. But in the end I prevailed, I bought an 18 inch turnaround and two spice risers at BB and B, my favorite store to get lost in, that transformed a cupboard into a very organized spice center, I found that I am not quite as short as I thought and found the cupboard above the stove to be perfect for my oils and such and it doesn't get too warm for them. My tools, knives and measures are in drawers all within easy reach. I am still rearranging and changing and moving things around. I play the game "I need..." and see which drawer or cupboard I automatically go to. So far even my daughter has been able to find everything pretty easily. If only our lives and relationships could be organized and fixed and changed so easily. Nothing ever quite fits in the cupboard or drawer that you want it to. It always kinda spills out, or you can't quite find the right tool you are looking for, nothing quite measures up to what you expect. The thing about moving is that even though it is a new place, the people and things it contains are the same, you bring it all with you unless you make the conscious choice to leave some of the clutter and "crap" behind. Wherever you go....there you are. This move has been hard and the fact that I have done it pretty much alone has made it even harder. Other then one load of boxes and a couple loads of furniture, I have done the rest by myself. It is my "crap" true, but I guess I thought I would have a lot more help and support then I have gotten. I am exhausted, tired, stressed, sore, sad, depressed and at times just feel like I can't do it anymore, I'm still not done. Nine years of stuff packed into a big house and having to move it and fit it into a much smaller space. Not even all of the furniture is in the house, it's still in the garage filling it up much like the old one, it should be placed already, the rooms should be arranged. Once that is done it is so much easier to put things away. But for now, it is chaos, and I will clean it up. Even if I have to do it alone. Because after this, I never want to have to go through what I just did. I don't ever want to have that much clutter in my life again, I don't ever want to have to make those hard choices or decisions. I don't want to have my life filled with "crap" that serves no purpose except to drag me down. So...I will get the job done and I will organize the new space, and I will do it with or without any help...because it needs to be done. In time I will be able to assemble exactly what I need in a matter of minutes to fix a meal. And maybe after all this stress other things will organize themselves and find the right place where they fit and all will be okay.....or maybe more hard choices and decisions will have to be made.....and more things that have outlived their usefulness will have to be thrown away...