The Calendar Turns

We've all heard about the biological clock of women (I have been frightened by its alarm a time or two, but 'snooze' button prevailed), but I think my sinuses have one of their own. When late-December rolls around, I get sick. It doesn't seem to matter what life's circumstances are either. This past December offered no exception, but I am finally feeling alive again. It's a terrible time to feel ill, and it's a terrible way to start a new year.

I didn't do too much thinking while sick, but a random thought did occur to me one day in between naps (I hope I haven't written about it before now). I typically don't care what other people think, but when it comes to the furniture I renew, I care a lot. Perhaps too much. When someone buys a piece from me, I feel connected to that person. To them, they are just buying a piece of furniture they like. To me, they are buying something that was a part of me for a brief time. Sure it's a tangible piece that means nothing in the grand scheme of life, but there is a ton of thought and effort that is put forth before and during the process.

My imagination and naivete kept running, and I blamed it on the cold medicine. I started thinking about how all those pieces are being used. I wondered about a desk bought for a child. Maybe that little kid doing homework on it grows up to make some sort of monumental discovery. Maybe a china cabinet that holds the dinnerware on which a generation of Thanksgiving meals are served. A coffee table that, at the time seemed more mistake than art, provides a resting place for cold beers after a day on a Florida beach. A symbol of my work will live in these houses for a long time, and I love that feeling.

I typically request photos from the people who buy my pieces because I like to see how the furniture looks in their homes. Here are a few, though some more recent than others:

Little Dining Table (and I was worried about my own cat's hair)

Painted Cedar Chest at Vacation Home

Desk Bought for Granddaughter

Coffee Table at Vacation Home

Nighstands and.......

.......chest of drawers at Vacation Home

Love-letter dresser in Bedroom

China Hutch in Dining Area

Mirror, but the back story is funny...

....Target parking lot was full, so met her in front
of Asian massage parlor next door

Satisfaction and fulfillment comes in many forms within many circumstances, though I can't imagine myself feeling it any more strongly than when someone else loves and appreciates something that I produced.