Goosebumps on the word “life-raft.” What a sweet, patient rollout of time and how our lives can be tied - consciously, unconsciously- to possessions. Thank you for sharing this! Also “it was the most romantic night of my life.” The right ascetic academic really can be a double swoon :)
Such a beautiful essay. So glad you wrote it and I read it. Love the idea of the couch/sofa symbolizing an investment in the relationship...and that you and Patricio and it are still together.
This was a wonderful piece. “Life raft” reminded me that I used to help my kids push our two sofas together to make a “boat” to inhabit on rainy days. Those sofas are long gone now and my kids are pushing 30.
What a beautiful piece, and story. Coming from a scrappy, not-quite-middle-class background, I have a lifelong push-pull relationships with acquiring and owning "stuff." A beautiful (and for me, then, very pricey) leather couch I bought many years ago—my first piece of "real" furniture—signaled reaching the stage of true adulthood. It traveled on every moving van in a turbulent period of relocating way too often, and now it really belongs to my dog, as I almost never sit on it. But it still represents a sense of security.
When my husband and I were engaged to be married, I remember being annoyed that my grandmother would not give us the cash we requested and instead insisted on buying us something of "lasting value." We settled on dishes, which are still being used today. I appreciate your mother in law publicly validating your relationship with a tangible token of her love and support. Oldsters can be wise!
Goosebumps on the word “life-raft.” What a sweet, patient rollout of time and how our lives can be tied - consciously, unconsciously- to possessions. Thank you for sharing this! Also “it was the most romantic night of my life.” The right ascetic academic really can be a double swoon :)
I married a “couch” so I love that reference!
Such a beautiful essay. So glad you wrote it and I read it. Love the idea of the couch/sofa symbolizing an investment in the relationship...and that you and Patricio and it are still together.
Lovely essay.
Love your writing, love your story! I especially giggled at the picturesque "color of a worn football"! Marvelous!
This was a wonderful piece. “Life raft” reminded me that I used to help my kids push our two sofas together to make a “boat” to inhabit on rainy days. Those sofas are long gone now and my kids are pushing 30.
Oh this was was a beautiful touching read!
"I was afraid that without those physical anchors, I’d forget who I was."
This line resonated, as I am about to pack up (again) a lifetime for an unknown amount of time and set out to find a new home in a new place.
What a beautiful piece, and story. Coming from a scrappy, not-quite-middle-class background, I have a lifelong push-pull relationships with acquiring and owning "stuff." A beautiful (and for me, then, very pricey) leather couch I bought many years ago—my first piece of "real" furniture—signaled reaching the stage of true adulthood. It traveled on every moving van in a turbulent period of relocating way too often, and now it really belongs to my dog, as I almost never sit on it. But it still represents a sense of security.
Love love love love!
When my husband and I were engaged to be married, I remember being annoyed that my grandmother would not give us the cash we requested and instead insisted on buying us something of "lasting value." We settled on dishes, which are still being used today. I appreciate your mother in law publicly validating your relationship with a tangible token of her love and support. Oldsters can be wise!
Loved this story.