Over and Above
Sometime ago my refrigerator was smaller than the one I have now. It was shorter and much smaller. Over the years my refrigerators grew. Bigger and bigger until I maxed out the size available at the time I bought the one I have now. It’s a monster. In cubic feet I suppose it is over 25 but less than 30. In other words, it could possibly hold enough food for a herd of hungry teenagers. But! Yes, a cold and double handled “but.” It’s the outside of the refrigerator that is the center of attention this week.
When the fridge was smaller, one of the ways it was smaller was that it was shorter. Enough so that my six-foot-tall husband could see the top of it. More than once he let me know the top of the ice box was in need of cleaning. My shorter frame needed a stool to see the tiny bit of dust, wink/wink, that needed to be wiped off. Up I would go, clean it and move onto other things. Some other things that I didn’t clean either. Now, with the monster refrigerator I have it has been some time since I became aware of what was going on up there.
A few weeks ago I ordered a new flooring for my kitchen. My 30 plus year old linoleum was finally starting to give out. The guys coming to install would need to move my refrigerator out and then back so I needed to clean it off. First of course was too de-magnify the three sides that were holding such grand information in place, like appointment cards from two years ago. Little do dads and cut out funnies that have yellowed with time. Pictures and lists and in some cases, just the magnets. That done it was time to clear off the top.
Not everyone has cabinets above the refrigerator, but I do. They have been empty since I sold a stash of 18 heavy duty beer Schooner glasses on E-bay about 12 years ago. Those Schooners were earned over many of my younger years. But I digress.
Over and above the refrigerator, in those empty cabinets I stuffed most of the things that I found on top of my refrigerator. Not many things, but enough things to almost fill the extra small cabinet. Also up there was a nice layer of dust. Oh, who’s kidding who. It was dirt. There is dirt up there. A nice layer covers the top of the refrigerator, with nice blank spots where displayed things were. I saw the dirt, of course I did. Then I stopped. My brain told my body that actually cleaning the top would be a waste of time. Afterall, the installation of the new flooring would surely just get the top dirty. I could get after it, after the flooring. When I would surely climb back up there to take the things out of that cabinet and put them back on display.
Well. I have been enjoying the new flooring for over two weeks now. Would you believe that I have not re-upped myself to finish that little bit of cleaning. I have not re-instated the items from the little over and above cabinet to the top of the fridge. All the magnets, notes, pictures, snips of this and that are all still in a bowl on the counter and a pile of bigger papers and pictures lay under that bowl. I am in awe of how big that box is. And how white it is.
The refrigerator is not the only over and above place we have in our homes. When was the last time you took a look at that pretty and delicate glass that is on your ceilings? Or over the bathroom sinks? Above dining room tables. Yes, they too all need cleaning. I don’t clean them either. Especially in the bedrooms. Not until I need to change a light bulb. I also admit I wait until both light bulbs go out before I do anything. We must pace ourselves after all.
Believe me, over and above things are many. Do you put as much effort into washing the top of your car or truck. If you actually do wash your own vehicle. Next time you are at a motel, on the second or higher floors, take a look down at the cars in the lots. You may see that many vehicles have a streak down the middle of their car that some of the owners can almost reach. Leaving the center couple of inches, we tell ourselves is okay, because nobody will see it.
Out of sight, out of mind could easily cover all the over and above spaces we all have.
Trina lives in Diamond Valley, north of Eureka Nevada. Contact her at itybytrina@yahoo.com or Trina Machacek HC 62 Box 62101 Eureka, Nevada 89316
