Mother Hubbard

Sometimes, an empty cupboard can be a good thing.

I've spent the last month getting to know my kitchen, and trying to remember where I put everything. I mean, it was hard enough deciding where to put everything, but I had no idea it would be this hard trying to remember where I actually put it.

So you can imagine my surprise when, while rummaging around for who knows what, I discovered a totally empty cupboard. Two whole shelves, just waiting to organize my duplicate zesters and garlic presses.

I'll admit I felt a bit of a rush as I pondered the possibilities. Would I rearrange my baking pans? Maybe shuffle around my miscellaneous tools, like my apple peeler/corer/slicer. Perhaps Wiggle Man's dishes could have a shelf of their very own.

In the end, though, I did nothing. I left the cupboard empty. I wanted to have a little extra breathing room, in case I found I needed it down the road.

And I got to thinking--why don't I do that in the rest of my life? Why can't I leave myself a little extra "just in case" space? Why do I cram my day so full of things to do that I have no time to spare?

So, I'm leaving myself a bare cupboard. I'm going to leave a little spare time for spontaneity, for a cup of tea, even for when dinner takes longer to prepare than I expected.

One day I'll probably need to fill that empty cupboard. But for now, I kind of like having it around.