Use the Fine China

When my aunt passed away, I helped my cousin sort through some of her belongings.

We opened drawers and boxes that held a lifetime of memories - fine china from her wedding day more than 50 years ago, crystal glassware, beautiful things she loved but rarely used. She was always saving them for a special occasion.

Piece by piece, we pulled them out as my cousin shared stories about where each item came from and what it meant to my aunt. Then, we gently packed them into boxes for the Share Shop - our local thrift store - where they'd be sold for pennies.

That china never had its moment. It waited for the right day, the right event, the right reason to be used. And then, suddenly, there was no more time.

That experience stuck with me.

And then the Jasper fire happened.

When the evacuation orders came, we grabbed Ava, packed a few essentials, and left within minutes. So many things we cherished stayed behind. We spent months on couches, in borrowed cabins, and short-term rentals. It was a season of chaos and loss - and when the smoke cleared, so much of what we thought mattered was gone. My brand-new car was written off. We had to throw away almost everything: porous materials like wood or plastic, and anything that went in or on our bodies - food, toiletries, etc.

Before the fire, we had so many things we were saving. A beautiful hand-carved maple bowl I’d bought with my Gramps at a summer market in Duncan - I kept it tucked away, waiting for the “right” time to use it. Mikey had a bottle of expensive scotch his late father gave him, to be opened when he passed his Red Seal. He’d only cracked it that once. Its moment to be fully enjoyed never came.

We spent years sparingly using these things, calling them “too fancy,” always waiting for the perfect occasion to indulge.

But life doesn’t always come with a warning. The “someday” we plan for might never arrive. The good towels. The fancy wine. The dress you’ve never worn. The expensive candle you haven’t lit. What are we waiting for?

Who told us that joy needs to be rationed?

Use the fine china.
Drink the fancy scotch.
Make an ordinary night special - just because you can.

We need more celebration, and more use of the things we consider life’s little luxuries.

Because one day, someone might be going through your things - holding a box of unused joy - and wondering why it never got to be part of your story.

Make the memories now.

Use the fine china.