I take delight in creating visual feasts
when setting the dinner table,
so I have a small collection of napkins.
Rust with sheen for Thanksgiving,
Two colors of damask for dinner parties
in case I ever again have one.
Colorful French jacquard
for dining on the deck,
Soleil in script woven in.
Textured purple textiles
for everyday use,
because who doesn’t need
a pop of purple on a regular basis?
And a few sets more.
Collected over many years,
all those that never got relegated
to the give-away bag.
Not so many, really. Really.
But limited space is a fact of life
for the modern condo-dweller.
What to do with the napkins to
store them out of sight and yet
see all available to play with?
I bought translucent boxes,
narrow, with snap-close lids,
to tidy the napkins all and
stack neatly away in the slim
buffet that hangs on the wall.
Exasperation! My folded napkins
proved just a little too big,
had to lay crosswise in the boxes,
wasted space, and the boxes
crowded out the placemats.
I hated the non-sensical, not-right,
whopper-jawed, disorganized
waste and time-suck of it all.
My dirty little secret: I became obsessed
with org-porn on Pinterest, YouTube,
decor blogs, and Instagram…
Until I spied this mind-boggling tip:
Fold your napkins to fit your container.
My brain felt thump-whack plumped,
both sides, like a stale pillow.
Think inside-outside the box!
Fold your napkins to fit the container.
Just because you’ve always folded
your napkins one way doesn’t mean
you can’t learn to fold them another.
I felt so free, unencumbered, amazed.
I know. It’s just napkins, after all.
But suddenly I was looking around.
Where else in my life might I break free
from always-have-done-it-this-way
aged, musty mindsets?
What a joy to take a fresh look at life,
give my brain a plump, snap and shake
and toss it out in the sunshine to air!
Ann Keiffer
March, 202o
Image Credit: Digital Collage by Ann Keiffer
