The other night I dropped a dinner plate.
Not just any plate, but one from the place settings Anne and I registered for when we got married in 1996.
Now truth be told, I don’t even think Anne really likes them anymore. Earthy green and red. Very 90’s. But I’ve always been fine with them.
Anyway, it slipped out of my hands and hit the floor.
It didn’t crack.
It shattered. Into a pile of pieces.
I may have said a few words I won’t repeat here.
Anne knew the sound right away. That sound has happened before over the years — kids, busy suppers, hands moving too fast.
We carried on with supper not thinking much of it.
Fast forward to this morning.
I woke up stiff and cold for the usual reasons and headed downstairs for coffee and a sit in my chair. As I grabbed one of the matching mugs, I noticed there were still quite a few of those.
And for some reason I thought…
I wonder how many plates we’re down to.
My mind, already thinking about sore bones and the day ahead, went straight there.
Have we dropped below the four-seat threshold?
And if so… is that some kind of omen?
Should I even open the cupboard?
What would it mean if there were only three left?
(Well, one thing it would mean is Anne would finally get her new set.)
But for me and my nostalgic ways, I was convinced it would feel like something bigger.
I stood there for a second before opening the door.
First thing I saw — two bowls left.
Not encouraging.
One lonely side plate.
Also not great.
But somehow…
We still have eight dinner plates.
Eight.
What a relief.
I don’t even know how many we started with, but the plate-of-life-o-meter is still reading pretty high.
All is well with the world.
I don’t know when I started making these kinds of connections. Years ago I probably would have just grabbed my coffee and moved on.
But lately I catch myself noticing things. Little symbols. Little reminders. Thoughts that used to stay tucked away.
And the crazy part?
I share them with whoever will listen.
Anyhow…
Seems there’s still a good stack of life left on the shelf.
Farmer Rod