What’s On Your Fridge?

The other day, I was trying to rearrange the surface of my refrigerator when I had an epiphany. If one’s desk is supposedly a reflection on them, the same might be said for my refrigerator. When my life is neat and orderly, so is my refrigerator. Magnets are arranged by size and important, important papers tacked up where they can be easily referenced, the kids’ play magnets are confined to the freezer area, and there’s not a single fingerprint to be found.

But most of the time, my fridge looks like this:

To a stranger, it appears to be an unholy gob of crap hiding what is a very nice (and expensive) appliance underneath. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason, and just what are all those papers stuck up there? In a way, this is a reflection of my current life. On the surface, I may look like a hot mess–I desperately need an eyebrow trim, I’m tired, I’m carrying around extra things I don’t really need–but underneath it all, I’m one beautiful appliance. And this mess on the outside? Well, it’s not a mess to me. It’s life in all it’s unkempt glory.

The Polish Madonna

Just like my fridge. In the center is our weekly family calendar, central point for our busy life. And just to the left of it is one of my favorite pictures, The Polish Madonna, along with a morning offering prayer that reminds me, each time I check the schedule or get a cup of water, that there’s love in the world and that I’m grateful for it. Above that are magnets that represent the places we’ve visited. One such magnet is holding a scrap of paper on which my then 6-year-old wrote, “I love America mom”. It cracks me up every time I see it. And next to that, the appointment card for my 3-year-old’s first trip to the dentist. At the top is a magnet that used to be on my nana’s refrigerator, “Happiness is a Polish Grandma”. It reminds me of her every day.

On the other side is a continuous shopping list and more magnets to remind me of happy trips and experiences–such as seeing “Spamalot” and “Mama Mia”. Those clips holding miscellaneous papers? Crucial to household management. A quick flip through them will give you easy access to a list of important phone numbers, a guide to safe and unsafe foods for those with peanut allergies, a birthday party invitation, the 30 Day Mom Challenge (that helps me do better), and 31 Virtues to Pray for My Children (because sometimes we forget to be specific in our prayers). Stuck up on the fridge, they will not get lost or accidentally tossed into recycling, as is the risk when we leave papers on the desk.

Could it be a little more organized? I suppose. But to organize it, to shove the kids phonics magnets back below and put the state magnets in order, would take away some of the truthfulness, some of the charm. Its somewhat crazy and chaotic nature perfectly reflects my life and the life of my family. It’s the reflection of a life lived and not constrained into a perfect, neat box.

So tell us–what’s on your fridge?