Pass Me a Napkin Please

I opened up the banquet drawe -for what I don’t remember - but there I saw little piles of napkins, each holding a special memory. There were napkins for every season and celebration, each reminding me of a distinct occasion – some very beautiful, some fun and cheerful, some marking one of life’s transitions- graduations, Superbowl, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter- pink flamingos, party hats and balloons. I’m not sure why, but I do believe that some festive napkins can really uplift a party.

At church some refer to me as the napkin person- Oh no, not the person who signs up for a potluck first and chooses napkins and paper plates-though that would reflect my lack of culinary skills – but just someone who is always looking for that fun bit of color to brighten up any occasion!

Oh, and of course, for dinner we often use cloth napkins to lessen the environmental impact. There is something about setting a table just right-that brings me joy. Placemats, napkins, flowers, knives pointed in. I think it has a way of saying ‘welcome-we’re glad you’re here!’

You might think that ‘napkins’ is not an inspirational topic for a blog – and you’re probably right. But I guess I see these colorful, inviting gems as small way to celebrate life - a bit of sparkle for any occasion-an attention to detail and a bit of reflective joy in an often-weary world. And what a nice way to bring happiness into someone else’s home when you’re invited to dinner – a lovely accoutrement to the perfunctory bottle of wine – a little pack of fun cocktail napkins. They also make a lovely gift topper.

I showed my husband our residual napkin collection and he glibly stated – ‘I can’t remember any of them!” And I said, ‘but oh-those are from my sister’s birthday party, and remember how we used these for a gold-motif at Christmas, and these my niece brought over for your birthday-and oh those were my favorite for Thanksgiving.’ And he said, “Nope, I don’t remember any of them!” Isn’t it funny how something so memorable for one could go unnoticed by another? I guess we’ll forgive him as it was the first thing in the morning and I was setting out early to break my 20,000 words a day limit.

Well, I guess the essence, core, root, heart, kernel, sum and substance, point, and the long and short of this diatribe is that life is to be celebrated. Whatever bit of color, joy, merriment, and fun, you can bring to the figurative ‘table’ creates a spark in the deep, vast cosmos of our existence. So why wait? Go find that perfect pack of napkins and celebrate this incredible miracle of life.