There's something to be said for simplicity.

A couple of weeks ago, when my kids discovered that the drainpipe under the kitchen sink had sprung a leak, simplicity worked in my favor.

I'd been jealously eyeing my sister-in-law's handy-dandy trash and recycling drawer in her new kitchen.  It was near the sink, but not under the sink, and it kept the trash can and recyclables easy to access but impossible to trip over.   Such organizers were not on my radar screen ten years ago when we remodeled our kitchen.

But if I'd had one of those organizers, there would have been other stuff under the kitchen sink.  Maybe a stash of cleaning items, maybe some plastic grocery bags, maybe even pots and pans.  And the plumber told me that I was lucky that all I keep under the kitchen sink is a dishpan for the recyclable cans and bottles, because we found the leak early, and no damage was done to the cabinet.

If it had been full of things that were seldom needed, no one would have noticed that leak until the dripping water had rotted away at the whole cabinet.

I still dream of ways to keep my kitchen more organized, but this might have cured me of that little jealous streak.

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