The Refrigerator Is Not Going to Have Anything New in It

And yet, here I am. Opening the door. Again.

I don’t know what it is about the refrigerator, but apparently, I believe that if I open it enough times, something wonderful is going to magically appear.

Maybe a piece of cheesecake. Maybe some leftover Chinese food. Maybe an entire dinner that I don’t have to cook.

Nope.

Same milk. Same cheese. Same eggs. Same vegetables.

I close the door.

Ten minutes later?

I’m back.

What exactly am I expecting to happen?

The Refrigerator Stare

You know exactly what I’m talking about.

You open the refrigerator, stand there with the door wide open, and just… stare.

You’re not necessarily hungry. You’re not looking for anything specific. You’re just looking.

As if something might jump off the shelf and announce, “PICK ME! I’M DELICIOUS!”

And here’s the ridiculous part.

I KNOW what’s in there!

I’m the one who went grocery shopping. I’m the one who put everything away. I’m the one who planned the meals.

There are no surprises.

And yet, I continue to investigate.

Maybe I missed something.

Maybe there’s a little treat hiding behind the milk.

Maybe the cheese has somehow transformed into cheesecake.

One can dream.

I’m Not Even Hungry!

This is the part that really gets me.

Sometimes I’m not even hungry!

I’ll be walking through the kitchen, minding my own business, and suddenly find myself standing in front of the open refrigerator.

Why?

Was I looking for something?

Did I need an ingredient?

Was I just passing through and thought I’d stop in to say hello?

I have no idea.

It’s almost like the refrigerator has some mysterious magnetic pull.

And apparently, I am powerless against it.

But There’s Plenty of Food!

Here’s the thing. I’ve actually been making a real effort to cook smaller portions, plan our meals, and make good use of what we buy.

Groceries are expensive! I’m not interested in throwing money into the garbage.

And I genuinely enjoy figuring out how to use what we have.

So it’s not like there’s nothing to eat.

There are ingredients for perfectly good meals. Fresh vegetables, eggs, cheese, and whatever I’ve planned for dinner.

But apparently, none of that counts when I’m standing there hoping for something delicious that requires absolutely no preparation.

I don’t want to wash it.

I don’t want to chop it.

I don’t want to cook it.

I just want to open the door and find something fabulous, ready to eat.

Is that really so much to ask?

The Refrigerator Is Not a Television

I think we sometimes open the refrigerator for the same reason we scroll through television channels.

We’re not sure what we want, but we’re convinced there’s something better if we just keep looking.

Except the refrigerator doesn’t have 200 channels.

It has milk, eggs, cheese, and a jar of pickles.

And unlike Netflix, it doesn’t make recommendations.

Although I wouldn’t mind if it did.

“Based on your previous visits, we think you’d enjoy this slice of chocolate cake.”

Now THAT would be useful technology.

Maybe the Next Time…

I’ve decided that opening the refrigerator repeatedly is really just an exercise in optimism.

Every time I pull that door open, there’s a tiny part of me that believes something wonderful might be waiting.

Something I forgot about.

Something delicious.

Something that doesn’t involve turning on the stove or dirtying a single pan.

And every single time, I’m greeted by the same familiar groceries.

So I close the door, go about my business, and remind myself that I know perfectly well what’s in there.

Problem solved.

Until about fifteen minutes later.

When I find myself standing in front of the refrigerator again.

Well, you never know. Something might have changed.

And if you’ll excuse me, I think I hear the cheese calling my name.

😂