A Memory that has Served me Well

When Mike and I were packing up my things to move me out to California, he asked me if he could get rid of all the mismatched flatware*, since there was plenty of matching flatware**. I wouldn't let him, and told him if he wanted to get rid of some of the quantity of spoons, knives and forks that I had, the matched would have to go. I love my mismatched flatware, and I think it's far more interesting on the table than a set that matches. That's just "too matchy matchy" for me, as my mom and sisters say (you do too, Sisters, I've heard you. It's OK, I say it too).

This conversation occurred well over a year ago, and yet the recollection of it still makes me smile every time I'm washing or drying spoons and knives and forks (which is, like, ALL THE TIME).

*As a side story to the one above (and also how I came to possess both mismatched AND matched flatware), when I was first moving out of my parents' house, Mom and I went to the Johnson Creek Outlet Mall together and picked out interesting designed spoons, forks, and knives, sold as individual pieces in sale bins at the Oneida store. We had a lot of fun, and I have some really cool pieces, especially the butter knives! When I set a table I try not to have two of the same of anything. Just for fun.
**(And WHY do I have such a large quantity of flatware?) At some point my mother gave me her old matching set of flatware, which is lovely, just not my eclectic style.