Of Couches: Reflection

Composition is no fun unless you can visualize yourself as a conductor of a great symphony with baton-thingy raised, ready to begin. The flourish......a pause.......and then what you do from there, be it moon the audience or sip cognac with pinky finger raised, is up to you, but that first sentence, that opening title, that is the kicker. That is where everyone takes in their breath in anticipation for you to begin.

In this case, I still stand here, baton-thingy raised, and am peeking back at the audience to gauge where I want to go with this. I pause, tap my lower lip in deep contemplation, circle the dais a few times, and then finally announce with a loud deep note from percussion, that it started with a couch.

This couch and I go way back. Back to High School when my parents bought new furniture. For years we had nice plaid blue and red couch, loveseat, and chair with footstool, but they were tiny and we were no longer.

Now my parents have unexpected and spectacular taste. Not unexpected in the manner which indicates that their class level is below the ability to select fine furniture, but unexpected as that the furniture they find is so fine in itself, any self aware teenager will blush at its appearance thinking "okay, this is a set up. I know I am somewhat neat, but I will ruin this stuff!!!!!!"

I reflect that along with the comfort of the pieces there was also the benefit of allowing the fine furniture to physically manifest my parents expectations of our behavior within their home. And, with exception of moments of extreme brain damage, the furniture remained fine until came time for me to leave for college. My behind parted with that luxury until the summer of 04 when I had knee surgery. I recuperated for 3 weeks on this couch.

It is now the end of 2008. mom and dad have replaced the couches again, and I have been blessed to be able to receive them into my home. (well, really Kennys apartment....but yeah) They are 9 years old and some of the original fluff is gone, but you still sink into these pieces of furniture with a luxuriant sigh of pleasure.

Which is good because I was almost ready to have a bonfire with the couches at about 5PM Saturday night.

I think one of the reasons they lasted so long is that they are HEAVY. The loveseat alone, we guessed, was around 300 lbs. The couch was defiantly over that. Back in the day - when I was in shape, I might have made it, but Kenny and I have desk jobs and were not quite prepared to move it out of a moving truck and 60 yards over snowy ground.

We rented the truck bright and early at 8 am on Saturday. With the help of my very physically fit brother Andy we got it all into the truck. Then the truck stayed there all day till the first of our retail service bound friends got off the hook at 7pm. We only managed to get the loveseat, and had to take 10 rest stops in a 30 yard space. I suppose it would have been better had it not been 15 degrees and a foot of snow on the ground, but managing the couch was to much for us to consider.

The chair had to wait till Sunday morning. I was not comfortable driving it back in Saturday nights weather and walking the equally as large chair up my icy apartment steps in the dark.

By the time it was all done, yes we had missed church. Unarguably the Lord was with us all weekend however; I just wish my loved ones (Andy) could remember this blessed fact when they are harping. It almost made the triumph of moving the couch sour. Almost.