When my husband, Jack, and I started dating, he lived in Chicago and I was residing in San Francisco. On his first visit, he brought me a few sentimental trinkets, such as a Chicago coffee mug, a shark Beanie Baby (long story), and a can of Orange Crush soda. I still treasure the coffee mug (I'm sipping tea from it right now) and the kids enjoy playing with the shark. Alas, the Crush is long gone.
But not for lack of love: I kept it stashed in my refrigerator for months. I stared at the unopened can whenever I spied it hidden behind the vanilla yogurt, mustard, pickles, and leftover Indian take-out. It reminded me of the full flush of our early courtship, our blossoming "crush." When I went on an extended stay with Jack in Chicago, my friend Elizabeth apartment-sat for me. It never crossed my mind to ask her to not drink the Orange Crush...which, of course, is exactly what she did. Ack: I was heartbroken! I don't even have the can as a memento as Elizabeth had dutifully recycled it.
Why am I telling you this story more than a decade later? Because I have had a similiar sentimental favorite in our fridge for more than eight months--a plastic bottle of Nestle Chocolate Nesquik. It was handed to me by a bouncy volunteer in the finish area of the Eugene Marathon as I hobbled around on my thrashed legs. The gal handed me two of them--I must have looked in need of something, anything--and I cracked open one on the spot. But I brought the other one home and, as you can see, stashed it in our SubZero. It expired July 23 last year, and I just noticed the sides of the bottle are kindof sucked in, as if the contents have seriously spoiled.
For all these months I haven't been able to bring myself to dump the drink and put the bottle at the curb. Whenever I spy it, it reminds me of my strong effort at the marathon. Yet now as I am about to embark on my training for my next 26.2-miler, I'm thinking it might be time.
What do you think?
-SBS
8 comments:
peel the label off, frame it, and stick it on the fridge :) (I am super sentimental about random things as well, so I understand completely!)
How have you kept the kids out of it?? I like Heather's idea (if the label can indeed be salvaged).
I had a bottle of Brazilian soda that I kept for years -- and moved three times. It felt weird to chuck it, but also liberating (who moves bottles of soda??)
Heather's idea is a good one. You could do a "ceremonial" dumping of the Nesquik, to symbolize that you've gotten all the strength you need from your last marathon effort and now you're going to ride that strength into your new training cycle!
I think it's time. And my kids would've taken it off my hands as I walked in the door from the race! Maybe you could stick a photo of it on the fridge (or even inside).
Yep = agree with the other kids ...
Chuck the contents, but keep the bottle!!
Kudos to you for the training for the next one!
I get sentimentally attached to things too. This would be hard for me.
Heather's idea was great. Take off the label!
I'm so happy I found your blog! I LOVED your Marathon Moms series at RW and was sorry to see it end.
I would do something creative with it but yes, it's time to get it out of the fridge.
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