Embrace the mess.
That is what I learned on my summer vacation.
By mess I mean 15 people, ranging in age from 4 to 77, packed in a small cabin for our annual weeklong celebration of togetherness.
The main mess is the chaos of our small kitchen which looks like a short order diner open for 24-hour business. With different wake up schedules and activity choices, mealtimes, except for dinner, are not scheduled.
Instead, throughout the day a bevy of rotating family members cooks up a variety of individual entrees: toasted cheese sandwiches, omelets, pancakes, popcorn, chopped salads, or last night’s left-over brats; sometimes all of it happening at once. With no dishwasher, need I mention the dishes stacked in the sink?
Now for many, this chaos of the kitchen would be unthinkable. And if I was wise, I might take a lesson from a dear relative’s play book. Hosting a similar family vacation every year, she chooses to run a tighter ship. Menus are meticulously planned, meals are on a strict schedule, and in between, the kitchen is closed.
I must admit that even though our kitchen chaos is sometimes a challenge, I would have it no other way.
After all, the chaos of the kitchen is where conversations begin, where laughter reigns, where dripping swimsuits and sandy feet give testimony to the joys of the moment.
Gratefully, by the close of the day, many helping hands see to it that the dishes are done, the floor swept, the counters cleaned. Well, at least for the most part. What’s not to like about that?
Because, one day I know I’ll miss that wildly wonderful mess.
In fact, I already do.
