Date: 22 October 2013. Dratted Dishes.
In the continuing saga and hard work of de-cluttering your
dirt dwelling, this week's task is again in the kitchen. As you can
imagine storage space on all but the Queen Mary is rather limited so it's
imperative that we pare down the items accumulated during our
hunter-gatherer years. It should be getting easier to part with the
minutia as the weeks progress. One turning point for my good sport (he's
been providing the pictures in the
Becoming Clutter-Free
series) came when he realized that even his workers didn't want the stuff
he'd been storing in his lockers for years.
Last week we focused on the small appliances that "seemed
like a good idea at the time" and how many we tuck away for years at a
time without using. These are the rejects one person discovered in his
kitchen. He also found two bags of grocery bags and several economy sized
containers of cleanser back under the sink.

Just because you've spent perfectly good
money for
an item doesn't mean you must keep it for a lifetime.
Sometimes remembering the acquisition is enough and
definitely the time is now for ridding yourself of the chaos. When you're out here there really is no bonus for having umpteen
sets of dishes in the lockers. One is quite sufficient unless you keep
kosher in which case two are required. On the water we really don't care
if stuff matches, we don't mind if your good stuff is plastic and if there
isn't a special holiday pattern we won't notice as long as the food on the
dishes is tasty.
None of the trivia that was so important when ashore seems
to exist, at least not among the cruisers I visit. We are more concerned
with books to swap, tuna doors (construction thereof) and important things
like who's hosting the next movie night. Does this heater work? How much
power does that use? What's it like at the next anchorage?
Speaking of anchorages, I found an old picture of Boot Key
Harbor back before it was infested by mooring balls in rigid rows. Take a
look at a bit of history, taken 13 September 2001:

When you're at anchor no one cares that your dishes are
Wedgwood or some other fancy pattern, so today and this week please go
thru your kitchen lockers and remove every plate, bowl and such. What of
those would you like aboard your boat? If your favorites are the "good
china" by all means keep them as there is no reason why you cannot use
expensive nice items aboard your boat. It's your home, so why not use the
pretties?
HOWEVER every item that you return to the locker must be
one you love. Nothing else! And remember the old saying that should by now
be reverberating in your brain:
The ideal boat sleeps two, feeds four and
parties six.
Thus, the most of any one item aboard your vessel should be
six and really four is generally enough. If you're having that many people
(six) aboard it is likely you'll use disposables so be very particular as
to what you want to keep. Everything else needs to go -- if it's not good
enough for your life afloat and wouldn't earn a place on your boat now is
the time to donate it to a thrift store or the town dump. Only worry this
week with the plates, bowls, your dinner sets and such.
As a reminder, since we started this project we have opted
for the best of:
And this week it's the dishes that get your attention. Yes,
I've got it all mapped out -- before the end of the year if you stick with
the plan you will be clutter free and ready to shop for your dream boat.
Along those lines, there is that thing called research.
Back in the dark days when I was stuck on shore, I had a working file of
sailboats and motorsailers I considered for long-term life aboard. First
do the work (dishes this week) and then visit
HERE and have
fun!
The pleasure when you're free of Stuff is unimaginably
great. I wish I'd done this decades ago, but then, well, I was still in
the hunter-gatherer stage of life. This one is so much better not because
I have fewer things (and that's marvelous) but mainly because what I have
is exceptional. When I cross stitch I don't take out boxes of cotton
floss, I have one small box of silks. And when I paint, it's only oils. My
ink pen is a nice one and the scissors I use when crocheting are very
nice too.
Getting rid of Stuff isn't about doing
without:
it is selecting and keeping only the best.
Take care this week to find your favorites and donate or
dump the rest.
I'd love to hear of your progress.
And, are you interested in the the series continuing?
COMMENTS:
Categories:
Anchorages,
Becoming Clutter-Free,
Locations
Hatteras/Krogen demographic ~
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