setting the table

When we were growing up, my mom was adamant that we would know how to set a proper table AND know how to eat at a place setting if there were multiple forks, knives and spoons around the plate.  (Hint:  use utensils from the outside in.)

When we set the table for any meal from an extended-family Christmas dinner to the supper table on a random weekday night, we knew that the utensils needed to be one inch from the bottom of the place mat, the knife blade needed to be turned in to face the plate, and the napkin was placed to the left of the fork and not under it.

My mother told us, as she told her Home Ec students, that even if the only fancy place setting we ever sat down to was at dinner before our prom, we would know how to use the right fork and appreciate it.

I am sure that my mother knew I would have more fancy dinner settings than just my prom, but I am positive she never imagined where life would take me.

Last night as I was setting the table for an official breakfast for oil and gas sector people at our residence this morning in Rio, I was overcome with gratitude towards my mother for teaching me something so basic (it's just everyday good manners) but yet so incredibly helpful for my adulthood.  I can't imagine the panic attack I would have before every event if I didn't have the confidence instilled by mom to do something as basic as setting the table correctly.  Not fancy, but correctly.

While we don't set the table this well for our everyday breakfast, our table is (nearly) always set properly for a sit-down meal at our house.  The knife will always be facing in and the napkin is always to the left of the fork. Some lessons can never be undone...