Respecting your bowls

These are the bowls my husband and I use for soup, ramen, and stews. They are all the same size, but different colors. Because there’s only two of us in the household, these four bowls rarely get used all at the same time. Often, we use only one because my husband sometimes skips lunch and/or dinner.

Here’s what happens when it’s time to put a bowl back on the shelf:



1. I pick up the bowl that has been used, washed, and dried.



2. I take it to the shelf, and...



3. …put it at the bottom of the stack.

This is what I call respecting the bowls, or being fair.

I’m a person who lives by logic, not superstition. On the surface, the idea of “respecting” inanimate objects seems as silly as believing in ghosts. But that is just the surface.

Cycling the bowls is a logical idea. Each bowl receives equal use, washing, and risk. I won’t end up with one well-used bowl on top and three barely-used bowls below. I bought these four bowls at Ross Dress For Less. Yes, they sell housewares, too, and most of them are of good quality. But the “Ross Rule” still applies: If you see something you like and you can afford it, buy it now, for tomorrow it may not be there. The last time I went to Ross, I found bowls of the same shape as the ones we have now, but not the same colors. So if I break one of these bowls, I may never again find one like it. By cycling the bowls, each bowl has the same chance of being broken. I do the same with plates, glasses, and cups.

I like having a fair cupboard – it is something that I can make fair.