After waiting with much anticipation for 2 weeks, yesterday our new refrigerator was delivered. As the delivery guys unloaded it from the truck I was struck by how beautiful it looked gleaming in all it's bright, shining glory! It was a sight to behold. I was jumping with joy and doing the happy dance...UNTIL the deliverymen hauled out my old fridge.
Now I know; a refrigerator is just an appliance and nothing to get nostalgic about, but suddenly I found myself staring out the window as my fridge was loaded into the truck and not seeing the faded almond color that didn't match anything in my kitchen or the dirty smudge marks that would no longer wash off. I didn't think about how loud it had become or the fact that it seemed to be continually running day and night.
Instead what I saw was all the baby bottles it kept cold for me to grab for those middle of the night feedings and all the jars of baby food that kept from spoiling because of it's faithful performance. I saw all the times it moved with our family and settled in to do it's job in each new location without failing. Instead of the grimy dirt spot that I couldn't clean off, I saw the glittery sticker that caused the smudge many years ago where little hands proudly stuck it in the most prominent place in our house to be seen by all...the "frigidator". I remembered all the birthday cakes and ice cream stored in it for significant days in our family's history. I saw all the wonderful report cards, priceless works of art, and special photos it proudly displayed for us for over a quarter of a century. Needless to say, I found it hard to say goodbye to that old fridge that served us well for so long.
I have to admit though that today, I am enjoying the instant ice, both cubed and crushed, and the cold water at the push of a button. For some strange reason, my favorite feature on the new fridge is the light for the water and ice dispenser...I love watching it slowly fade to black! The clear bins are amazing...I can see all the fresh produce without having to open drawers to peek inside and I am starting to get used to the idea that the fridge is really running although I can hardly hear it! The sound of the ice dropping is scaring the daylights out of Lucy, but I appreciate not having to deal with ice trays anymore.
After loading the outside with photos, magnets, and other misc objects, I feel the new model is starting to seem familiar. Of course I will continue to have fond memories of the ol' faithful Norge that took such great care of our family's needs, but I hope we share as many years and as many events with our new fridge.
I think it is time to go get a nice tall glass of cold water with crushed ice and watch the light fade out.
