Hopeful.

Traditionally, a hope chest is a box containing items of clothing and household goods in anticipation of marriage.

I am not a traditionalist. Clearly.

But as someone who has never lived alone (and no, college does not count)-- someone who longs for a space that is all hers-- the idea of a hope chest is kinda catchy (less “I HOPE some man comes and takes me away” more “I HOPE I ever get to use this stuff in my own place”). Especially when, logistically and financially, that goal seems so far off.

Savings accounts are nice, but-- lets face it, not much fun. And when all your money is stored away in a savings account, it's hard to 'see' the good it's doing. It would help me to have some tangible collection of things to add to and look at to keep hope alive (no pun intended).

As soon as this epiphany hit me, I immediately saw in my head the type of chest I wanted: A wooden box. Simple. Solid. Clean lines. No embellishments or frills. Stained a dark cherry. With a lock (to add some mystery and maybe some cheesy symbolism) Now of course, and as usual, my imagination will probably become my detriment because I won't find exactly what I want (or I will find it and it'll be extremely expensive) but maybe, just maybe I can find an old chest that I can strip and refurbish. Something I could pass on to a future child (or sell to some sucka for a fortune on ebay)

Armed with Ikea catalogs and Bed Bath and Beyond coupons, I started a list of necessities for 'My New Place'..... well at least the things that would fit into a chest. The first thing that came to mind was a garlic press. So random. So trivial. So.... perfect. I determined that would be my first purchase. I have wanted a garlic press for so long. Almost as long as I have wanted a Kitchen-Aid mixer. Almost. Don't know why I hadn't bought one, as much as I cook with garlic. No one wants spend ten minutes pasting up garlic for every meal.

Then, the more I thought, the longer the list got and when I was near finished, it was more like a wish list (Hey, a girls got to dream). More than keeping my spirits high, this hope chest represents a change of mindset for me. A kind of refocusing.

I like this feeling.

I don't know what to call it. Probably, hope. *chuckles*