That moment my favorite coffee mug finally gave out on me last weekend

I had this big ceramic mug I got from a thrift store in Portland about 4 years ago. It was chipped and the handle was a little loose, but I just kept using it because it held the perfect amount of coffee. Last Saturday morning I went to grab it from the cabinet and the handle just snapped clean off in my hand. Coffee grounds went everywhere on my counter and floor. I stood there for a minute staring at the two pieces before I finally tossed them in the trash. Instead of replacing it right away, I went through my cabinet and realized I had like 7 other mugs I never use. So now I'm down to 3 mugs total and honestly my cabinet feels way less cluttered. Has anyone else had a broken item force them to cut down on duplicates?

4 comments

4 Comments

wren6381mo ago

That's rough about the mug, I had a similar thing happen with my favorite spoon that just bent in half out of nowhere. Sometimes losing something forces you to realize how much extra stuff you've been holding onto.

the_simon1mo ago

Man I used to be the complete opposite about stuff like that. I was one of those people who kept everything because "what if I need it someday." But last year my garage got flooded and I lost a bunch of old tools and random junk I'd been holding onto for years. At first I was mad but then I realized I hadn't touched half of that stuff in like five years. It actually felt kind of freeing once I got over the initial frustration. Now I'm way more careful about what I keep and I actually enjoy getting rid of things that don't serve a purpose anymore. Funny how losing something can flip your whole mindset around.

rubyk261mo ago

Losing everything really does reset your standards, doesn't it?

spencer_coleman19d ago

That part about "freeing" really hit home. I had the same feeling when my old camp cooler finally broke last summer. I held onto it for years even though the latch was busted and it didn't keep ice more than a few hours. When it finally cracked I realized I had two others in the garage I never used. Now I just have one good cooler and I actually use it. @wren638, the spoon bending in half is a perfect example - sometimes the universe just forces us to let go of the clutter. Funny how a broken mug or a bent spoon can make you look at your whole cabinet different.