runlikejoy

Displaced Stay At Home Californian in rural N. Carolina

The Many Faces of Joy

The Many Faces of Joy

Monday, August 23, 2010

Vanity


I found out today that two new people have read my blog. Yesterday I found out that someone new also read my blog. That makes three new people in a week, I consider that a great and gigantic week.

I was on my way home this morning from taking the bigger of the wee ones to school when I saw a brown couch I could not live without. After sitting on it and listening to it squeak I raced home and asked the neighbor with the gigantic truck if she could help me go pick it up. I then raced back and cut in front of the trash truck to bring it home. Then I had to rearrange the tiny living room to accommodate not just two couches but now three.

Then Uncle Joey did the unspeakable, he said, "I can list that blue couch on Craigs List and we can sell it". My heart did a flip flop because in the past we have not been lucky with the selling and buying power of Craigs List. But by 5pm this evening the blue couch was being hauled out of the living room by two college students who will most likely use it to spill beer on and many other fluids because that is how college students are.

We were given the blue couch by my Mom and her Bob and while I have always been overwhelmed by their generosity, I have never been able to reconcile my taste to the hideousness of the blue couch. It is truly something straight out of the museum of natural ugliness. But because we were too poor to own a nice and new couch and because I could never find a nice decent and clean free one, we kept the blue couch and put up with its ugliness.

I'll let you in on a little secret too, it had secret powers. YES, it had secret powers. If a child under 8 jumped on it, it worked like a trampoline. Children everywhere used it to launch their bodies up toward the ceiling. So to all those children who love our blue couch, it is gone. And I'm sorry. But we got money for it and we didn't have to lift it and now I never have to look at it again as long as I live.

In its place, there sits a used and sticky brown couch that squeaks. All in the name of vanity.

1 comment:

Mike Stankavich said...

Interesting that Craigslist hasn't worked out well for you. I have had lots of success there. And yes, a bit of frustration too, but we got through that. I'd say we made somewhere between 2k and 3k selling stuff before our big move.

We have definitely had a lot of low or no cost furniture through the years. When I got my new job and they offered me a full relo package with a 40' cargo container I said "Man, what do we even have that's worth shipping?"

Hey, it's good that you know how you want to spend your money. If furniture doesn't do it for you, then making do with found items, gifts, Goodwill and yes, Craigslist can be a great way to go.