On the refrigerator door

For most of my adult life, my fridge had been pristine, with nothing adorning the front doors or the side panel. I was used to having clean sheets of metal, reflecting my face back at me whenever I approached the appliance. These days, our fridge door is covered with arts and crafts made by our daughter, and it gives so much character to our kitchen. The art is a source of joy when I approach the refrigerator, and I often find myself smiling as I open the door to reach whatever I need from inside. Holding up all those pieces of art are magnets; not just any magnets, but fridge magnets that we’ve collected throughout our travels over the years. (We have so many that they run down the side of the fridge too.) These magnets are not just functional: they mean something to us, they remind us of the places we’ve been and who we were when we went there. Some of the magnets are classy, others kitschy, but they all hold stories and memories of the past. Each one means something, and for that,…