Lately, I find myself overly appreciating everything. Anything may turn into a lovely piece of art, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve learned to look at the positives in the not-so-positive moments, turning them into poetry or a symphony. I’ve learned to appreciate the smallest things.
The other day, as I was doing some cleaning, a scratch on the console table got my attention. It made me stop for a thought of appreciation. Running my fingers through the small crater, I followed its shape. Beautiful, I thought, as I wiped away the dust.
Beautiful? Maybe it isn’t really beautiful and I’m being overly sentimental and dramatic (because I just moved and it brought back memories), or maybe there really is something heart-warming about the old furniture that have spent so many birthdays with you.
Things, just like someones, also have a lifespan. Our scars — physical or emotional — remind us of the pain we’ve endured. Scratches on furniture are also scars, wooden scars, and they remind us of paths we’ve traveled and steps we’ve taken, sometimes literally.
I’ll always remember that time I smashed my toe onto the claws-like leg of the same table. And then there was the coffee table. The screws are loose from moving it so many times from place to place. Like a photograph, these little things take you back to that moment that is sometimes worth re-living (except for the toe-smashing moment).
Someone once said nostalgia is like living in the past and you don’t want to live in the past. But I think reminiscing could be a good thing sometimes. Of course, if it’s about happy memories.
I was touched. The old me would have wanted that table out in the garbage. I would’ve probably had a brand new piece already, like “normal” people would. But today, I think I want it in my home. From now on, nothing is old until it’s old, until it’s completely useless.
I never thought I’d look at a scratch on a piece of furniture and think of it as something precious, a relic. Bt here I am. Time and age change us? And, something about the little things…they now mean everything.
