January 4, 2012 4:12 PM
2011: Out with the Leftovers
2011: Out with the leftovers
By Barbara CurtisWhen it comes to New Year's resolutions, it's not the big ones that get to me. Giving up smoking, drinking, overeating, overspending on Ebay -- been there, done that (with varying degrees of permanent success).
Still I don't consider myself a hero. All it takes is one look at my refrigerator to see that on some level I'm still locked in denial.
The truth is I hate cleaning out the fridge. Hate confronting this telltale heart of my stewardship. Hate rummaging through all those awkward sliding shelves and clumsy plastic drawers to see what needs to be tossed and what I might puree into salsa or shred into a meat loaf to fill the hungry hordes in my house. And the longer I wait the worse it gets.
So the longer I wait.
Thank goodness, every once in a while the urge to purge takes me by surprise -- as it did the other day when I went looking for lettuce and found an erstwhile science project. Next thing I knew, I found myself actually digging back to the depths -- and then, lo and behold, actually grabbing a cloth to clean.
It was like an out-of-body experience. As though something came into my house and took control. Because believe me, I just don't add to a list -- mental or otherwise: Clean the fridge. I just don't. I can't. It has to sneak up on me unawares. Then I try to relax and go with the flow, trying not to notice the danger all around me.
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