Variety! Assorted flavors! Thousands of styles available! Warehouses filled with inventory!
Convenient, yet I like the unique, one-of-a-kind, customized, prepared for one’s individual taste, made out of materials found locally/today stuff.
Someone moved out of my apartment building and couldn’t take a small bench her grandfather had made for her. I bought the hand-painted piece, thrilled to have something created with affection and artistry.
When I moved, I didn’t take it with me. I thought it was time to upgrade my furnishings. I went to a department store and bought brand new items. Ooh. Freshmen, we have arrived!
I set the bench in the stairwell of my old apartment building when I left. I wished it a good life with its new owner. I hoped it would be discovered by an appreciative tenant.
Now, I prefer the stuff that carries an interesting pedigree: the surviving dining chair from grandma’s wedding set, the creations of a family’s wild child, the wooden chest someone carted home from a business trip overseas, a dusty wrought iron shelf from the back room of a resale shop.
I realize I choose my friends the same way. I am at ease with souls who flaunt their scars and tell me how they lived to tell the tale. I enjoy spending time with those who do not fear quiet pauses or honest exclamations of delight. Those who share seats around my table are finely wrought.
#bigyearproject
