Rankin323web

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Go Ahead, Use the Good China Mary Ann Kirby 64 • MARCH 2023
Why do we insist on saving things for special occasions? Let me re-phrase that. Why do “I” insist on doing it? Twenty years ago, when my husband and I were in the process of getting married, the expectation of newly engaged couples was to register for fine china and fancy crystal in order to receive them as wedding gifts. In hindsight, there were certainly more practical gifts for which we could have registered. We barely had enough cabinet space to accommodate our mismatched combined everyday dishes and assorted plastic “to-go” cups. Friends and family were generous in celebrating our union with dinner plates and salad plates and bowls and cups and saucers–all gilded and gold rimmed– and none dishwasher safe. When we built a home a decade later, we boxed up all our gifted tableware– some still yet to be unwrapped from its original gift packaging–and we moved it to its new address. To this day, while yet another ten years has passed, they remain mere articles of decoration–or hidden, entirely, in a seldom-used china cabinet. My china has become a metaphor for my life. What am I saving it for? It has always been my experience that the purpose of fancy dinnerware is to mark “special” occasions. I’ve realized, though, as I’ve gotten older, that my definition of “special” has changed. My son is getting older. My husband travels constantly for work. Special occasions in our household have become the everyday ones. The days when my husband and son and I can sit down together at the same table and eat and laugh and talk, are special. The days when we celebrate simple things like getting our driver’s license, a win on the baseball field, or an award at school–are all special. And our clock is ticking . . . Oftentimes, our neighborhood friends will come to our house and gather around the kitchen island and eat and drink and howl laughing while sharing stories of their jobs and their children and their lives– and those times are special. And the fact that they want to be there is special. So when I consider that our special occasions are the ones that involve the people I love the most engaging in the things that make me the most happy– it makes me wish I had used that china more often. If you’re still reading this, stay with me... What if we actually started to “use the good china” every day? What if we used it until every gilded edge on every piece had been worn down to just a faint brassy haze? If we are saving our very best, for the very best, when will that be if not now? At nearly 53-years old, I find myself in a transition–a bit of a “new season.” And I’m not even sure what triggered it. Maybe preparing to write this story prompted it as I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time. But the truth is, I’d gotten lazy. And because my family is moving at warp speed, most often in completely opposite directions, I found myself being alone more often than not. My day-to-day routine hadn’t required much effort beyond getting up, brushing my teeth, piling my hair on top of my head, and taking my son to school–most often in my pajamas. And because I work from home, I can stay in my pajamas for a good part of the day, and usually do. But a year or two ago, I started noticing that I was having a hard time remembering things–simple things like being able to recall someone’s name or a word that should have, otherwise, come easily. I would go to the grocery store and it would occur to me, somewhere around the cereal aisle, that I had absolutely no idea where I’d parked my car. So there I’d be, in a baggy sweatshirt that covers my back-side, wearing yoga pants as pants, without a stitch of make-up on my face, hair piled high up on my head, standing on aisle eleven and wondering not only where I had parked my car–but what had become of me? When did I lose, me? It was a defining moment. I had quit trying. And as a result, it seemed my brain had quit trying, too. I wasn’t “using the good china.” Saving things and reserving the effort for that “special something” or that “perfect moment” is crazy. None of us know what’s going to happen tomorrow. And we certainly shouldn’t take our moments for granted–because we never know when we’ll be out of them. So this new “season” I’ve entered is actually a season of re-awakening. Today is my special occasion. What if we showed up for ourselves every day? What if we showed up for the people we care about most and made the most of every single opportunity? What if we pulled out the “good china,” showed it off, and felt good doing it? Literally and metaphorically. When it comes to thankfulness, I can think of no greater way of expressing it than by using the good stuff. As they say, wake up, dress up, and show up, right? I’m still working on it. But now, while I may still wear my yoga pants as pants, don’t be surprised if you see me doing my grocery shopping wearing bright red lipstick, too. After all, I’m being intentional about celebrating today. As hard as it is for me to admit, and in the grand scheme of things, today may actually be one of the relatively few, if not only one, I have left. Therefore, it’s imperative that I give it all I’ve got. So go ahead. Use the good china. Life’s too short not to. Turn the ordinary into something extraordinary, today. l Hometown MADISON • 65
Page 1 and 2:
V103 323 Be Where Your Feet Are Tou
Page 3 and 4:
More kinds of care for all of Missi
Page 5 and 6:
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED GOOD ON
Page 7 and 8:
FROM OUR PUBLISHER North Mississipp
Page 9 and 10:
Hometown RANKIN • 9
Page 11 and 12:
“ We’ve got lots of friends, an
Page 13 and 14: Hometown RANKIN • 13
Page 15 and 16: Teri Oakes Dyess MD, FACP, FHM wear
Page 17 and 18: Erin Pickens WAPT Erin Pickens is a
Page 21 and 22: READER SPOTLIGHT Kinley AINSWORTH W
Page 23 and 24: Be Where Your Feet Are Leigh Ramsey
Page 27 and 28: Service. Our legacy and livelihood.
Page 29 and 30: Presented by the Junior League of J
Page 31 and 32: an opportunity to experience someth
Page 35 and 36: Sponsored by The Aikenses Tell us a
Page 41 and 42: Christopher Hawkins I am going to T
Page 43 and 44: Best Spinach Dip Ever • 1 (16oz.)
Page 45 and 46: Thanks to all our readers and adver
Page 47 and 48: Hometown RANKIN •• 47
Page 51 and 52: CATEGORY 2 • 3rd - 5th Ace Evans
Page 53 and 54: CATEGORY 4 • 9th-12th Poster Hann
Page 57 and 58: KIDS WHO CARE Anderson Walker Misti
Page 63: Hometown RANKIN • 63
Page 67 and 68: Hometown MADISON • 67
Page 75 and 76: What We Offer: • 24-Hour Personal
Page 79 and 80: This support is multi-faceted, and
Page 83 and 84: Who is someone you admire and why?
Page 87 and 88: McLaurin Elementary Winter Wonderla
Page 89 and 90: Florence Elementary 2022 National B
show all

Rankin323web

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?