My mom died in early December of 2005, and she'd already bought some Christmas presents. Her last gift to me that I got when she was no longer around was a really great set of anodized aluminium tumblers. Totally my style, she really nailed it. I love them and I drink from them every day. Unfortunately, they're starting to show their age.
At first I was bummed out because they'd probably have kept their color better if I didn't put them in the dishwasher. But I'm starting to look at them in a new light. Much like the wrinkles in my face and the grey in my beard, I see all the weird faded spots and streaks as proof that they've been around. It's like a ritual. Every day when I come home from work or in the morning if it's a day off, I fill one with ice water and head over to my spot on the couch. As I catch up on my laptop, I see the condensation form a perfect even coat, which eventually turns into beads of water rolling down.
Once the tumbler is wet on the outside, the streaks and blotches are nowhere near as noticeable as when I pull it out of the cabinet; they look best when they're being used. So I use them as much as possible. And I think about my mom every day.
At first I was bummed out because they'd probably have kept their color better if I didn't put them in the dishwasher. But I'm starting to look at them in a new light. Much like the wrinkles in my face and the grey in my beard, I see all the weird faded spots and streaks as proof that they've been around. It's like a ritual. Every day when I come home from work or in the morning if it's a day off, I fill one with ice water and head over to my spot on the couch. As I catch up on my laptop, I see the condensation form a perfect even coat, which eventually turns into beads of water rolling down.
Once the tumbler is wet on the outside, the streaks and blotches are nowhere near as noticeable as when I pull it out of the cabinet; they look best when they're being used. So I use them as much as possible. And I think about my mom every day.