What to Do With Chipped Dishes

The thrift stores I haunt are full of them. Shelf after shelf of mismatched, unloved, and chipped dishes. From fine crystal to promotional items, they all wait for a new home. Items originally purchased with care to grace our tables and serve our daily bread. And I know how they got there. My dishwasher eats dishes.

At least four times this year I have opened the door and found chipped or cracked dishes. When I moved here, I went out and bought new dishes. Nothing fancy, just some plain white stuff. Although many bachelors resort to paper, I was on a quest to be able to set a nice table for my guests. I wanted it all to match, to be perfect. But the dishwasher was having none of that. Maybe it is passive aggressively hating me for not running it enough or unloading it fast enough. Some of the glasses and dishes were hopelessly cracked, a few even totally smashed. Into the trash with a curse they went, banished to the landfill. But some just had a small chip and went back into the cupboard to serve another day. Any of us with kids probably all have a few in our cabinets. Too good to pitch but not perfect anymore.

Many times, we get chipped in our daily lives. Something bumps us or does not strike us right and we get the proverbial chip on our shoulder. Of course, we want to be perfect but the chip continues to annoy us. Like a chip on a tooth that our tongue cannot help but to run over. We are afraid that the chip maybe become a crack and obsessively feel its sharp edges. A chipped dish still works. It can hold a full plate and still keep serving a purpose. It may not be perfect but is too good to throw out. It may cut you if you're not careful, but with a little care you can learn how to avoid it. Just put it back in the cupboard and forget it. It will remind you that next time, perhaps you should be more careful but really, you are still fine.