Room in My Kitchen

I have a huge, dream kitchen, but as capacious as it is, sometimes I feel like there’s no more room in there. When we moved from our little house into the house we’re in now my daughter spun around with glee and counted all the drawers and cabinets, “There are so many!” I’ve spent a lifetime accumulating things like pots and pans, cookbooks and kitchen tools. When my mom died and we divvied up her household, I accumulated even more. Sometimes it feels like there isn’t room for anything else.

For Hanukkah my daughter gave me something I’ve wanted for a long time, something that’s been on my Amazon wish list for well over a year, a waffle maker! I was so excited I wanted to make waffles immediately (we’d just finished dinner) but managed to hold out until breakfast. For our first attempt we made blueberry waffles, and though I need to learn the quirks and settings of this waffle iron, and our first waffle was a mess, we managed four near perfect ones. I am now madly Google-ing all things waffle, and mentally making lists of things I want to try, including a waffle version of our beloved corn cookies! Even as I was happily spooning the batter onto my new toy I was worrying about where I could put it. There is absolutely no more room in my kitchen!

It didn’t take much rearranging, and I found the perfect spot for it, because like our hearts, our kitchens can expand to allow more beloved things. A year ago I claimed the word JOY as my word for 2014, but I think I should have claimed the word LOVE. This year has been a year of me learning more about love than I have in any other year of my life. For so long my heart was mostly closed, or I thought it was. But it wasn’t really— all it took was some rearranging and I found it wide open, with plenty of room. This year I have found love in all kinds of new and unexpected places.

I will not claim my experience is unique, nor will I claim it is universal… You may read this and shake your head in agreement, you may be a tad nauseated, or fall anywhere on that continuum, but I have found as I slowly, and with a good degree of fear, opened myself up to the possibilities of love, love has poured out to me from everywhere, making me consider the notion that it was there all along, just waiting for me to make room, and open up a little. There are a few things going on in my life that are worrisome, and seriously challenging, and yet when people ask how I’m doing I can honestly say I am fine, great; I am happy. I have a new waffle iron!

It’s way too late to change my word for 2014, I’ve already chosen my word for 2015 (stay tuned) and I feel strongly about going with those gut impulses, so perhaps I will just allow all that love to find space in my heart, room in my kitchen, and try to bring it with me wherever the new year takes me.