We have a lot happening in our life these days. High up on our list is pondering a move to a smaller home. Huge decision, and unlike our typical impulsive shopping habits, we’re taking our sweet time on this dealio.
Have you ever done a purge of your possessions? That seems like the logical first step. If you have experience, how did that go for you? We are far from being hoarders. But. There are some things, just a few things, that would cause me great pain to part with. Do you understand what I’m saying?
My dad and I spent a lot of time in his woodworking shop. I was I think nine or ten when he decided to build me a desk of my own. He had built my mom and sisters their own desks. I was pretty excited to get to say “This is MY desk. And I helped Daddy build it”
Dad’s favorite wood to work with was dark walnut. And he had recently been given some rough walnut from a local man, Mr. Bishop, who had removed a grove of trees. “Bunny, let’s take this rough wood to Salina Planing Mill and see how it turns out. Might be okay for your desk.”
So we loaded the wood in the back of our beloved 1948 Chevy pickup that was painted John Deere Green. (The local John Deere dealer in town sold Dad the paint real cheap. He painted the pickup. I did not help. 😁)
Anyway, the rough lumber turned out to be stunning with a rare marbling pattern. He was so excited to get started. I did help. He involved me in every step of the process. Well I wasn’t allowed to use power tools but I was allowed to keep him company and watch him. And lend a hand here and there. 🤗
That project is a memory I will always hold close to my heart. I cannot begin to explain just how precious that desk was to me.
I just cannot begin to explain how precious that desk still is to me.
When we moved into our current home we debated what to do with it. The years have not been kind to it. The desk has suffered some pretty big scars from us, our young children, and one large St Bernard dog whose time with us was quite brief. Oh, Roscoe. 🤣 Check out the photo for graphic evidence. You can’t see in the picture, but the legs/base under the desk are barely hanging on. Very wobbly piece of furniture.
But the decision was made to prop it up in an obscure corner of our very large family room. It’s still there. A hanging shelf item Daddy made for me out of the same wood is sitting on it. And his good felt hat is sitting on the shelf. Plus a wicker basket containing a lot of old sheet music from my childhood. A big part of my heart dwells in that obscure corner.
Though we haven’t made any final decision on selling the house, we did seek advice from a professional house stager just to get an idea of what we might need to do in preparation to sell. Years of watching HGTV makes us wonder just how icky and outdated our home might be. You know, envisioning potential buyers strolling through and saying “this whole place needs to be gutted. We could never live with this nasty style”.
So we braced ourselves as she started the long long list of what decor to change, what walls to paint, what furniture to remove. Our decor style is Early Garage Sale. Thus the list is long. 🤭
As we made our way down to the family room I was completely and totally prepared to have her say “that desk must go”. I had completely and totally prepared myself to agree.
But not to haul it to the dump. We know it’s seen better days. So have we. 👍
As we all looked around I said “I know we will need to remove this desk”.
The stager didn’t know my story. My dad and I built it. Then he passed away a few years after building the desk, when I was 17.
I didn’t tell her my story.
I just held my breath waiting for her response.
She very quickly emphatically said “No! Keep it right there! I love it!” 🥹
Tears welled in my eyes. Yes they did. Just like they do every time I look in that corner.
Will we downsize to a new smaller home? We do not know. But the desk stays with us. ♥️🥹♥️👍. Our kids can dispose of it after I meet up with Jesus and Daddy in heaven one day. Until then, it stays.
As I write this I’m looking around at the updates we’ve done so far. Maybe we’ll just stay. ❤️
