So Long Sofa
Twenty some odd years ago, I bought a sofa and love seat set. It was shortly after I was married because as wedding gifts we received quite a few gift certificates to a favorite furniture store. It wasn't a chain and it was down at the shore not far from where my parents lived (which is why I went there with my mother in the first place.) New living room furniture was definitely something we needed, but getting something that fitted both our styles wasn't going to be easy. My husband liked modern whereas I liked more tradition. He was not adverse to leather; I was! We both believed in functional. The living room walls were a nondescript cream color, the woodwork/trim was a black wood. The house had (and has) a certain "feel" to it and I think both my husband and I wanted something that would fit that...I think the best term that we could come up with was "library;" although I don't mean like a public library, but more like a private library in a large estate somewhere. (Although our home was nothing like that!)
We had looked around together but nothing had clicked. And then one day when I was visiting my parents at the shore, my mother and I went over to this furniture store and I found it.
Back then phones were used for talking and not for taking photos. But I did talk to hubby and did my best to describe it: a plaid with green, dark red, blue and some yellow. It doesn't sound that great, but he told me he trusted me. So with gift certificates in hand, I purchased the sofa and love seat. (The gifts didn't cover it all, but it certainly covered most.)
If I recall, the items were delivered relatively quickly and we had them before the holidays. They were a perfect match for the house and served us well. Family photos were taken on that sofa and love seat. Specific photographs and memories will always lead back to them. Photos of my dad first holding our son. Photos of the day that he was legally declared ours. And one of my favorites, on his first birthday and it being August and hot, he fell asleep in the onesie that declared him to be "King James" with his bunny blankie by his side.
My husband spent most of the first few years of our son's life sitting on one end of the sofa. The same spot with his laptop to work. That was bound to wear it down. As did my son climbing here and there on it.
After twenty some years it was time to find something new. The search started in earnest in the beginning of the year, but nothing seemed right. Or right and in our budget range. We traveled up and down the highway past the furniture stores and nothing seemed right. Months passed. I didn't give up, but I lost heart.
As we crept closer to the holiday season, I knew we had to do something. And in early October we found something at Bob's Discount Furniture that we felt would do the trick. It's not perfect, but I think it will work.
And now the time has come to put the sofa out so that it picked up on "bulky items" day in town. As happy as I am with the idea of getting new furniture with cushions that do not sag; where there are no rips or tears or bits and pieces sticking out; and where no crumbs or Legos hide within the deep recesses; I am also a little sad and wistful. I didn't feel this way when we got our new coffee table (which wasn't actually new as we purchased it from the thrift shop where I volunteer). I feel like I am kicking an old friend out to the curb. (And in a way I guess I am.) While this needs to be done, for some reason my heart is breaking a little as we do this.
We had looked around together but nothing had clicked. And then one day when I was visiting my parents at the shore, my mother and I went over to this furniture store and I found it.
Back then phones were used for talking and not for taking photos. But I did talk to hubby and did my best to describe it: a plaid with green, dark red, blue and some yellow. It doesn't sound that great, but he told me he trusted me. So with gift certificates in hand, I purchased the sofa and love seat. (The gifts didn't cover it all, but it certainly covered most.)
If I recall, the items were delivered relatively quickly and we had them before the holidays. They were a perfect match for the house and served us well. Family photos were taken on that sofa and love seat. Specific photographs and memories will always lead back to them. Photos of my dad first holding our son. Photos of the day that he was legally declared ours. And one of my favorites, on his first birthday and it being August and hot, he fell asleep in the onesie that declared him to be "King James" with his bunny blankie by his side.
My husband spent most of the first few years of our son's life sitting on one end of the sofa. The same spot with his laptop to work. That was bound to wear it down. As did my son climbing here and there on it.
After twenty some years it was time to find something new. The search started in earnest in the beginning of the year, but nothing seemed right. Or right and in our budget range. We traveled up and down the highway past the furniture stores and nothing seemed right. Months passed. I didn't give up, but I lost heart.
As we crept closer to the holiday season, I knew we had to do something. And in early October we found something at Bob's Discount Furniture that we felt would do the trick. It's not perfect, but I think it will work.
And now the time has come to put the sofa out so that it picked up on "bulky items" day in town. As happy as I am with the idea of getting new furniture with cushions that do not sag; where there are no rips or tears or bits and pieces sticking out; and where no crumbs or Legos hide within the deep recesses; I am also a little sad and wistful. I didn't feel this way when we got our new coffee table (which wasn't actually new as we purchased it from the thrift shop where I volunteer). I feel like I am kicking an old friend out to the curb. (And in a way I guess I am.) While this needs to be done, for some reason my heart is breaking a little as we do this.
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