Dear Reader,
Yesterday a box was delivered to my door, a gift from a friend. Assembly required. I was delighted, not just for the gift (a coat rack. Thanks, Friend!), but also for the chance to assemble something. I had forgotten until recently how much I enjoy putting together flatpack furniture and that I'm actually pretty good at it. Perhaps because I always read the instructions.
My mail order flatpack coat rack and the counter stools I picked up from Walmart last week are certainly not heirloom furniture. The aren't going to stand up to 100 years of daily use. But they have other virtues.
Until you've spent time on craigslist considering the weight and dimensions of various used furniture listings, these virtues may not rank high on your list of desirable qualities in furniture. But after confirming that the Tulsan women of my acquaintance do not drive trucks or lift weights, these two qualities became very important to me.
It's true, if you want hard wood, hand carved pieces that say "wise financial investment", IKEA isn't your best bet. On the otherhand, if you're a woman of average size with a small car and a 6 month lease and a DIY situation, IKEA looks like your best friend.
I once read one of those motivational life message posters that said "Wishing you were someone else is a waste of who you are." How true, about furniture, about people, about life. I might wish for fancier, sturdier stools but I would not have been able to bring them home myself. I often admire the consistency and stability of my friends' lives, but they don't have the freedom to drive or fly to wherever they choose at a moment's notice. I often wonder what it would be like to enjoy fast activities like skiing or debate or speed chess. But perhaps then I would give up some element of my slow, thoughtful personality and lament that too.
So my resolution for 2016, if it can be called a resolution, is not to just accept, but rather to appreciate who I am and the life that I have and my growing collection of hex keys.
And also to extend to you, dear Reader, that same appreciation for who you are and what you add to my life.
Happy New Year 2016!
Yours,
~~ LeAn
Yesterday a box was delivered to my door, a gift from a friend. Assembly required. I was delighted, not just for the gift (a coat rack. Thanks, Friend!), but also for the chance to assemble something. I had forgotten until recently how much I enjoy putting together flatpack furniture and that I'm actually pretty good at it. Perhaps because I always read the instructions.
My mail order flatpack coat rack and the counter stools I picked up from Walmart last week are certainly not heirloom furniture. The aren't going to stand up to 100 years of daily use. But they have other virtues.
- I can lift the boxes.
- The boxes will fit in my car.
Until you've spent time on craigslist considering the weight and dimensions of various used furniture listings, these virtues may not rank high on your list of desirable qualities in furniture. But after confirming that the Tulsan women of my acquaintance do not drive trucks or lift weights, these two qualities became very important to me.
It's true, if you want hard wood, hand carved pieces that say "wise financial investment", IKEA isn't your best bet. On the otherhand, if you're a woman of average size with a small car and a 6 month lease and a DIY situation, IKEA looks like your best friend.
I once read one of those motivational life message posters that said "Wishing you were someone else is a waste of who you are." How true, about furniture, about people, about life. I might wish for fancier, sturdier stools but I would not have been able to bring them home myself. I often admire the consistency and stability of my friends' lives, but they don't have the freedom to drive or fly to wherever they choose at a moment's notice. I often wonder what it would be like to enjoy fast activities like skiing or debate or speed chess. But perhaps then I would give up some element of my slow, thoughtful personality and lament that too.
So my resolution for 2016, if it can be called a resolution, is not to just accept, but rather to appreciate who I am and the life that I have and my growing collection of hex keys.
And also to extend to you, dear Reader, that same appreciation for who you are and what you add to my life.
Happy New Year 2016!
Yours,
~~ LeAn
Well said, as usual. We love you and are proud of the person you are
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