The litttle things

   How different our lives become as we get older and how different we think about things now than we did in the past. Things that used to bother us greatly now bother us very little and things that never bothered us before get our attention more than they used to. Things that mattered decades ago now mean nothing and the things that we used to ignore now hold greater importance. For me it is most of the little things that matter now. Those things that add to my life, make home seem like a home, and give me comfort when I need it. One thing I recently purchased made a profound difference in my surroundings.

    First you must understand where I live. It is the classic cliché divorcee apartment, one bedroom, one bath and not much else. I left my home of 16 years with very little in the way of furnishings. One of the things I was missing was a dining room table. At first glance one would not think that was such a big deal. After all I am the only one living here so my immediate needs were scant. However, as time goes by and I am getting used to the situation and accepting where I am living these things become more important. With the children staying on a fairly regular basis it started to become an issue. We had been eating at an island sitting on stools in the middle of the kitchen.

   This past Friday I stopped by a used furniture store and picked up a dining room table and 4 chairs. When I picked up the children that afternoon you would have thought it was Christmas when they saw what was in the back of the truck. They could not wait to get to dad’s apartment and set it up. As soon as we got everything inside, and by the way my eight year old daughter insisted on carrying in some chairs, the first thing they did was grab the pledge wipes and spend 30 minutes wiping down every inch. They tested each chair and we turned the whole arrangement around three times before we settled on the perfect spot.

   That is how simple it was. A table and four chairs from a second hand store that turned in to a family dining room table by dinner time that night. I cooked a meal and we all sat at the table and ate supper. We talked about school that week. I teach they learn so the conversation was stimulating. For the first time there was a sense of normalcy at my new home for the three of us. We had a gathering place, not just more furniture, but a place where we could gather as family, give thanks for what we have and enjoy some laughter, food and love. Sometimes it is the small things that have the largest impact. In this case no matter what happens for now we eat together at a table. We greet the day enjoying breakfast as we make plans for the time we have, or just enjoy each other’s company as we wake up. Sometimes it is the smallest things that have the largest impact. I will look for more of these as I start over, over 50.