Every year, the week before Thanksgiving, I get the big roasting pan ready. Last year, my back had other plans.
The pan was in the very back of the bottom cabinet, under two baking dishes and a stack of lids. I bent down, got my hands around it, and started to lift.
My back said no right away. (It’s never shy about that.)
So I set it down, stood up slowly, and called my husband. He came in from the garage, pulled the pan out in one try, and set it on the counter.
“Why do we keep this thing way down there?” he asked.
I didn’t have a good answer. That was just where it had always lived.
Later that night, I stood in the kitchen with a cup of tea and looked around.
The heavy pots were down low. Things I used every day were up high. The drawers were full of gadgets my hands couldn’t work anymore.
My kitchen was still set up for the woman I was at 35.
This fall, I finally did something about it. If you want to declutter your kitchen after 60, I’d love to show you the three questions that helped me, and the things I was so glad to keep.
My Kitchen Didn’t Change. I Did.
We’ve lived in this house for more than 30 years. I set up my kitchen when the kids were small, and I never changed it much.
Back then, I could lift anything. I could reach the top shelf on my tiptoes and squat down to the bottom cabinet without thinking twice.
Now I have a bad back and sore hands, especially in the morning. My knee replacement works well, but I don’t kneel on the kitchen floor anymore. (Getting back up is the hard part.)
None of this means I can’t cook. I cook most nights, and I love it. My kitchen just needs to work with the body I have now.