My kitchen is the hub of all the activity that goes around in my home. I suppose that would make me some kind of head of state or monarch of this sovereignty that is my family. In my kitchen, I like to keep well-maintained rules that are obeyed dutifully. If this is the common room, then the kitchen counter is our roundtable and the kitchen bar stools are the royal members’ thrones. While we’re at this overextending Camelot metaphor, these kitchen bar stools are assigned according to their dominions. The second-in-command knight rules the land of the Living Roomia. The princess rules Bathroomia and the little prince rules Game Roomia. Our trusty steed is kept out in the stable in our backyard chained to the fence.
During any of our knightly meetings, I will prepare a feast and they will sit about in their kitchen bar stools. As the ruler of this kingdom, I gave them permission to assign themselves specific seats around the counte–I mean roundtable. This worked out for the best because they all have their preferences regarding how high they want their thrones to be and how comfortable. The little prince prefers that his seat is slightly higher than the others because he is rather short in stature and can only speak to the rest of us when he is at eye level. I don’ blame him. I can at least offer them that much freedom regarding the fixtures they are using.
When we have our open discussions regarding how each of our territories are doing, I see clearly that these kitchen bar stools serve as more than just chairs; they are platforms from which we express our fears and hopes.
