Plates

So.... I moved. There's a long boring story related to this move, the length of time it has been in the works (two months), and constant delays related to construction--not construction in my new place, but in an adjacent place. However I don't feel like telling that story.

I want to talk about plates.

Whenever I move I get rid of craploads of stuff. I got rid of the avocado green chair that had been my grandmothers. She probably bought it in 1975. My grandma would sit in it, her feet up on a footstool with a top she had embroidered. When my grandpa was ill, shortly before he died, he'd sit in that chair. My mom had it for years and she gave it to me after I graduated from college when I needed furniture. And while there was some emotional attachment, the chair, while still comfy, had seen better days. And by now it was pretty much a cat bed. It was time for it to go, and go it went.

I got rid of a lot of things, but the things that were hardest to get rid of? Plates. But these weren't just any plates. These were the plates purchased when I moved into my very first apartment in college. I moved out of the dorms towards the end of my freshman year in the spring of 1989. I went home for a week at the end of the school year, and Mom took me to Target to buy me shit I'd need: Pots, pans, flatware, and dishes.

Of that trip to Target, the only two things I remember Mom buying were a set of cast iron pans and my dishes. I loved the dishes. They were of the time: Black with white specks. They were more expensive than other dishes, but they had style. And while there were cheaper alternatives, I had (and continue to have) one rule when it comes to dishes: No Corelle or Corelle-like dishes.

Up until last week, I still had those Target-purchased dishes. Years ago I started buying Fiesta Ware and my plan was to get rid of the black-and-white-speckled dishes when I had complete dinner service set Fiesta Ware. But you know what? I have no clue what makes a complete dinner set: Four dinner settings? Eight? Ten? Twelve? As I was getting ready to pack my kitchen, I realized I had eight full sets of Fiesta and since it is just me, there is absolutely no reason to keep my black-and-white-speckled plates. Hell, eight settings of Fiesta Ware is probably more than I will ever need.

And that thought kind of hurt. I mean I felt my stomach tighten. It was time, but my plates! They were mine. They were so '80s. They were still good! And what if I host a dinner party? And.... And... Oh hell, it's just me. And I am never going to host a dinner party, because I don't like hosting dinner parties. I don't need twelve place settings. I packed up my Fiesta and used the black-and-white-speckled plates for the last few days before I moved. It was oddly nostalgic. And I considered many times not getting rid of them, but the days before I moved, I put them in a box and dropped them off at Goodwill. I actually felt a little sad.

One of the last times I used my black-and-white-speckled plates.

Thing is, those plates were oddly symbolic. The new place I moved into is super nice. I mean crazy nice. It's the first place I've lived that didn't feel like an apartment. It has character. It has hardwood. It's old yet renovated, has a great kitchen, granite counter tops, lots of windows, an awesome view, a private entrance (with enough outdoor space for a small table and a couple of chairs), and it only shares one wall.* I've been pretty mobile most of my life and this is the first place I moved into that feels like a home, not just a place to live. I want to decorate** Simply put: This is a grown up place. And getting rid of my black-and-white-speckled plates was like getting rid of that last thing I was still holding onto from some previous part of my life.

So, goodbye black-and-white-speckled plates. I hope someone else trying to set up their first apartment sees you, thinks you are oddly funky, and purchases you. And to that person, I hope they serve you well.





*I choose to continue to rent because after lots of thinking, I decided that that buying wasn't for me. It requires a commitment I'm not comfortable making, and I really like not being responsible for things when they break. Plus, I love my neighborhood and can't afford to buy anything in my neighborhood. 

**We are encouraged to make our places our own because the more a person feels at home, the less likely they will be to move--meaning less tenant turnover. There are people who have been in this complex for ten years. Not bad for a place a few blocks from a college campus