If someone would have told me that one of my greatest sources of frustration in moving from my house to an apartment would involve trash, I would have told said someone that he or she was the one who had most certainly lost their marbles. Believe me, I fretted and worried about a whole sleigh-full of house vs. apartment problems or concerns that would await me once I made the big move, but I can honestly say that trash was not one of them. And yet, the great trash dilemma is, beyond the shadow of even a trace of any doubt, frustrating the living daylights out of me in a gigantic way.
I suppose I should clarify a bit ... it's not the actual trash itself that's derailing my otherwise relatively smooth transition from house to apartment living. What's making me crazy is that there's absolutely nowhere in my teeny-tiny apartment kitchen to put a trash can, and I do mean nowhere. Because the kitchen is galley-style, the only open floor space is what's in the center of the cabinets and appliances. There is a tiny bit of space against the back wall, but if I put the trash can there, I would have to move it every time I needed to open the lower cabinet or get food out of the fridge.
Originally, I thought the solution would be simple ... I'd just get a trash can that would fit inside the cabinet under the kitchen sink, but that's proving not to be such an easy task. So far, I've bought and returned three different trash cans ... I was so sure the last one would work, but alas, it did not. And so for now, the trash can from my former house stands in the corner of the dining area annoying the crap out of me because a kitchen trash can should be in the kitchen and not in the dining area.
A couple of months ago, I began sending an email called "Grammar Goodies from Ghee" to all of my co-workers. In those emails, I give tips and advice for how to guard against some of the more commonly made grammatical and/or spelling errors in writing. Sometimes people reply to the grammar emails to let me know they're enjoying them or to give me ideas for future notes, and their feedback always means a lot to me. But last week I received a reply I didn't expect ... a reply that touched me so deeply ... a reply that came when I needed it desperately ... a reply that brought tears to my eyes when I read it.
"Terrie you a treasure on so many levels. I will miss you, but will keep reading your awesome blog. Have a great Christmas and a wonderful 2017."
I wanted so badly to go to her desk that day and thank her for her kind words, but I knew I couldn't do so without crying like a baby. Thankfully, the next day I was finally able to congratulate her on her new position and tell her how much her words had meant to me. She was surprised when I told her that I was deeply touched by her words, but I didn't tell her why they moved me the way they did. See here's the thing, friends, and I know you know the following words are true because a whole ton of you have written me and said exactly what I'm about to say ... there are times in life when you feel way more like trash than you do treasure ... times when you feel as though you've been crumbled up and thrown away. The day I received my friend's sweet reply to my email was right smack dab in the middle of one of those times for me. Somehow I don't think it was coincidence that her note came when it did ... I don't think it was coincidence at all, friends, not at all.
So why write about trash and treasure on Christmas? Because I want you all to think about the true meaning of Christmas and not just the presents and food and decorations and all the other things so many of us will focus our attention on today. Because I want you to never forget that one person's trash is another person's treasure. Because I want you to think about what a difference just a few words of encouragement or appreciation can make in someone's life. Because I want you to spend today treasure hunting instead of trash collecting. Because I want you to never, never ever forget that one person's trash is another person's treasure. Today would be a really great day to let someone know they are a treasure to you ... today would be a really great day indeed.
God bless you, friends, and I hope you have a blessed and joyful Christmas.
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