Kitchen Re-org

Tuesday, March 24, 2020: Last week, I tore apart two of my kitchen cupboards and rearranged them. For twenty years I have loosely separated baking ingredients from canned goods in my pantry and called that good enough. Now the fruit is separated from the vegetables, the condiments from the jams. The crackers have their own corner and gluten free ingredients reside above the glutinous flours. The shelves never before had labels. They do now. 

When I was done, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, bigger than I expected. Why was cabinet cleaning the highlight of my week?

As I spend more time at home, neater surroundings become more important. When the world has gone topsy-turvy, neatness brings a calm I seem to crave. But is that all?

When there is little to look forward to on my calendar, rooting around among the ingredients on my pantry shelves suggests new cooking and baking projects – projects I can plan for the future, even if the future is only a day or two away. While I feel tied to my home, planning meals means I can pass time in a productive way. And beyond that, while so much is unknown about this virus, at least I can know where my groceries are. While community closures have cancelled our fun and tied us to our homes, neat shelves are something I can control.

I feel silly for saying it, but when I’m feeling most frustrated about what I can’t do, it is gratifying to go to my clean cabinets and find things - just where I put them. Every miniscule aspect of my life I can plan and control, seems more important than ever before.



I live in Seattle and have time to think. Muse, even. Retired from research consulting and report writing, I now write about family history and life around me.

Comments

  1. JeanneOctober 17, 2020 at 8:48 AM

    I loved this idea so much I just ordered 3 lazy susans for our pantry. We've had raised shelves in the back, but I think this will be better.

    As a form of control (and, for me, self-soothing), I find cleaning and reorganizing as good as it gets. As you point out, it's comforting during and after. It contributes to the greater good in the universe by creating calm, smiling cooks. Top it off with an episode of The Great British Baking Show and another day passes peacefully.

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