Saturday, May 30, 2009

"Garage Sale Steals" and "I've Reached The Next Level in Life"

This weekend our neighborhood had a subdivision wide yard sale.
It was a veritable garage sale gold mine for the high intensity yard saler.
One out of every 3 or 4 houses had their driveway filled with furniture, clothes, knick-nacks and dusty exercise equipment.
I drove through the streets as I was on my way home from an errand.
I didn't bother stopping at most of the homes because I was only looking for one thing: couches.
The couches in our game room have been abused for several years now and are overdue for retirement.
I have put off buying new ones because whatever we get will continue to be abused, so I haven't wanted to spend much, and I have been hoping to find a couch with a hide-a-bed.
I almost didn't see this set because it was kind of hidden by bushes from the direction I was coming.
But when I did see it, I pulled over and went to inquire.
This set, which has been recently reupholstered, has a hide-a-bed in the larger couch, and was within my budget at $100!
J calls them the Cheese Cake Couches, because they reminded him of the rasberry swirl cheescake he ate today.
(I am going to have to get a new rug.)
.
Now please understand that I try hard to not be material, and to not judge others or myself by possessions.
But, regardless of my efforts, I have felt at times in my life that I have reached an accomplishment because of something that I have aquired.
Like the first time I bought a car from a dealership (instead of my parents or a friend), the first time I rented a house instead of an apartment, when I bought a home instead of renting (I don't own that home anymore), when I got a job that offered benefits.
You know, things that showed that I had met some imagined status.
.
Well, one of those things happened today.
.
I have dreamed of this. I have even been in possession of one or two of these when it technically belonged to someone else.
As I was driving through a culdesac eyeing secondhand wares, I spotted a cardboard sign.
A light shone down on me from heaven and I heard the angels singing to share my joy.
.
The sign said:
Free Piano
.
It was a good thing there were no cars or children in front of me, because I was staring out the side window at the sign.
I quickly pulled over and went to ask.
Surely there had to be a catch.
Nothing is actually free, right?
If it sounds too good to be true it probably is, and all that.
I hardly dared to hope.
The only catch was that in order to get the piano I had to be the first one to drive to the house it was at and pick it up.
I visited with the couple giving the piano away and made arrangements to meet them at the other house to pick it up.
They wanted nothing for it, other than someone to take it away so they wouldn't have to move it.
So after calling a friend and his son to help, (and isn't that the most cliche favor in the world?), my piano arrived at my house this afternoon.
It is a New York Rudolf. It is very tall, probably 5 feet or close to it.
This piano has been loved and well used for many years.
If it had a voice it could speak to me of the children who first learned middle C on this piano.
It could tell of the tears that have leaked out because of the beautiful music that came from it.
It could tell stories of how it got paint splatters, how it's wood was chipped and scratched in places.
It could talk of the families that loved it as it shared its music with them.
Of the homes that were warmer, more comfortable, calmer, because it's notes floated through them. As I dusted it and played my first few songs on it I bonded with it. I felt it. I loved it.
It is old and has seen better days, but it is beautiful, and it has a soul.
Maybe that's a poor description, but this piano, old and abused as it is, carries power. It brought it's strength in to my home.
I am so excited to have it, and so blessed to have gotten it.
And somehow, I feel that I have crossed that imaginary line where yesterday I was a lesser person, because today I own a piano.

10 comments:

Carrie and Karl said...

Congratulations on your achievement! I have a dream to have a piano, but I don't know where we would put it and neither Karl or I plays more than just right hand. For now we'll be content with our beautiful house.
Are you going to take piano lessons again?

Victoria said...

OH MY GOSH! You got a piano! At the side of the road! For free! And it's in your house now. How cool are YOU? For the first three or four years that we were married, we couldn't afford a piano. I used to have a key to the church building, and sometimes I would go over there at night and play the piano. It was a pain in my soul to not have one in the house. That had to be inspiration for you to drive that way and find that piano!!!

Unknown said...

The gift sent by God are the best ones! What a fabulous find. I am really excited for you.

I will feel my status change when we get a real sofa.

Chuck and Nancy said...

Accomplishments are steps of self improvement. Not necessarily to brag about but need to be noticed because you are improving who and what you are.

Some times our piano sits for a while with little attention. But it is nice to have and learn from.
DAD

Administrator Alice said...

Now you can follow in your grandmothers steps and paint it white, and then gold frost it by painting gold over the white. Nancy do you remember what that was called when it was all of the rage? Then it will be like the piano that we all learned to play on. Then it went to Texas and then back to grandmothers and now it is in St George at Lymans.

Stefany said...

I love this post! Awesome!

Mommymel said...

Oh wow! I admit it,I'm so envious... I wasn't able to go garage sale-ing because Ryan was out of town and the kids would have driven me to insanity if I dragged them along. That piano was a great find!

Lillian Wilkinson said...

I miss having a piano in the house. Many of the years growing up we had a piano that my mother played beautifully. She taught my brothers and I to sing. Usually the piano was old and often appeared decrepit but it was always in tune and we hauled it everywhere. We thought that we were special when, for a short time, we had two pianos. My mom tried to teach us to play but it wasn't "manly" so I refused to learn, boy do I regret that choice now. I can see how this can bring joy to your heart and I second what your dad said about goal atainment. -- Drew

Salt H2O said...

SCORE!!!

Chet and Liz Hugo said...

We had to turn down a free piano because we had already bought our nice electric one, and we just don't have the space. But I know what you mean about accomplishments. Enjoy your piano and your couches. We did get a new dining room set for free so we don't have to use the plastic patio furniture table we've been using. Yay!!--Liz