My Life With Furniture


These days, I find the lines are blurred between school and Real Life. Student life often means spending a cozy evening with your computer or heading to the boardroom for an on-site lesson.

Even traditional campus life has been redesigned for grown-ups. On September 5, 1999, the New York Times Magazine carried a story about life in the New Dorms that look like yuppie condominiums, complete with carpeting and what the Times calls "adult-sized refrigerators."

Meanwhile, a lot of grown-ups who are old enough to remember typing their term papers are still living like students. Books, magazines and loose stacks of paper are strewn everywhere. A Real Student secretly misses bricks and boards, although today they cost more than particle board shelves and are impossible to move.

When I lived in Alaska, I realized there was no point in buying Real Furniture. You could equip a ten-room house for the cost of shipping the contents of a studio apartment to the Lower 48.

I ended up buying a couch from a graduating student and adding an extra futon to the Bedroom Set. In my next job, I fully intended to do the same until a colleague observed, "Isn't there a time in your life when you stop buying used couches from students?"

A friend had a similar experience when she visited a Real Furniture Store seeking bookshelves. The salesperson showed her a nice unit for $450. Seeing that my friend was about to pass out, the salesperson explained, "This is a piece of furniture that you will be proud to display in your home."

My friend left the store in a daze. Somehow, she explained later, she had never thought of bookshelves as furniture.

Still, I see progress. A friend called to say he bought a house because he was tired of living like a student and was ready to grow up. He was forty-five at the time.

I myself have acquired some Real Furniture, including the Beautiful New Couch I bought twelve years ago. And I once had a grown-up lawn, thanks to my lawn service person, who was a student.

We will never succeed completely. My friend with the house just called to say that his two cats have shredded most of the trappings of his adult life.

I understand perfectly. My Beautiful New Couch has served as a place for me, my house-sitters and my guests to take naps, and the dog has carried out extensive performance tests on each cushion.

I haven't been a student but the Beautiful New Couch has gone through a reverse graduation: it looks far more exhausted than its predecessor -- the couch I bought fifteen ago, from a student.

For serious advice about moving, download Making the Big Move.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294

MORE RESOURCES:
RELATED ARTICLES
Beautiful Day Blues
The massive orb dominates the aqua crystalline backdrop of its own making, floods its rays on everything below. The sky devoid of a single cloud seems as empty as I feel and the beach looks like an arid desert, molded by tireless wind and blazing heat.
The Women At The Cross (Reflections On The Death And Resurrection Of Jesus)
The women at the cross. Have you ever thought about them?Why not drift into a comfortable - and meditative - position on a coach or in a chair and read verses 40 and 41 in Mark, chapter 15?When I read those words, one of my first thoughts was "Gutsy!" I would not have wanted to watch.
One Woman's Story of How Her Smile Increased Her Confidence
For one who takes pride in being involved with different community organizations, possessing a high level of confidence is essential. Especially when that involvement includes speaking to large and small groups requesting donations for numerous non-profit organizations.
When Was the Last Time?
When was the last time you smiled at a stranger?When was the last time you really enjoyed a good meal?When was the last time you did absolutely nothing all day and didn't feel guilty about it?When was the last time you did something special for yourself?When was the last time you anonymously did something nice for someone else?When was the last time you listened without interrupting?When was the last time you picked up the phone without looking at the caller-id?When was the last time you took a bath without any interruptions?When was the last time you made a child feel special?When was the last time you paid your bills on time?When was the last time you forgave someone?When was the last time you confronted someone who hurt you?When was the last time you said "I'm sorry" and meant it?When was the last time you had gratitude?When was the last time you liked what you saw in the mirror?When was the last time you prayed with conviction?When was the last time you stood up for yourself?When was the last time you paid someone a genuine compliment?When was the last time you avoided gossip?When was the last time you were happy with your weight/hair/skin/clothes/job?When was the last time you hugged your child?When was the last time you told someone you love them?When was the last time you silenced your inner critic?When was the last time you focused on your strengths instead of your weaknesses?When was the last time you did something you love?When was the last time you took a nap in the afternoon?When was the last time you shared in someone else's success?When was the last time you patted yourself on the back?When was the last time you took care of yourself?When was the last time you had a complete physical?When was the last time you went to the dentist?When was the last time you took a day off from work?When was the last time you felt satisfied with your life?Marie Magdala Roker is a Personal Development Coach an Author of Successful Thinking for a Successful Life: How to Banish the Unhealthy Thoughts and Habits That Limit Your Success. Her Successful Thinking? Program is an affordable coaching resource that offers support and encouragement when there are roadblocks to success.
Dont Die With Your Dreams Still Inside You
I write and talk a lot about dreams. Primarily because I know we serve an awesome and amazing God, who gave us dreams for an awesome and amazing purpose.
Follow Your Dreams: Believe In You
What you believe in the inside, to a large extent determines how your life turns out. If you believe you cant, chances are, you are right.
The Right Approach
Direct Answers - Column for the week of June 9, 2003I grew up in a happy, loving, stable home. My fiance was not as lucky.
Ways To Beat The Blues
1. Sit back and enjoy (or at least tolerate) the tumble.
Hitler and the Tsunami
In Catholic school the nuns used to tell us that we should love everyone as we loved Jesus. We didn't have to like them but we had to love them.
Sharing Your Experiences and Your Potential!
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. - John Cotton DanaExample isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach.
Go Where No Man Or Woman Has Gone Before
"It`s life Jim but not as we know it." -SpockIn Corrogue there is a starry, starry night.
Principles That Govern My Life
The strength and durability of a building is found in its foundation. The same is true in a life.
What Does it Take to Make Life Better?
What does it take for you to pay attention?You've probably heard this said, or said it yourself sometime, "I just realised how precious life is." Maybe you heard it when a relative died or maybe you said it after an accident or some other emotional event, but did you stop to consider the grander meaning to what you say?What if every experience in your life is sent to you so you can understand who you are and what your life is all about?Just for a moment, consider the possibilities within that question.
The Serpents Genesis 1 and 2
Not long after the beginning a being fell from the heavens to the earth. Even as the Spirit of God hovered overhead, the Serpent swam the waters below.
Remember Within
Remember when you were really young? It was an era of inconsequential innocence. Even at this age, your imagination was larger than large.
It Wont Happen Again
Have you or do you know someone who has been abused or been involved in an abusive relationship? What is your definition of abuse? All of us know that physical violence is abuse. We also know there is emotional and mental abuse too, but do we know what it really is?What counts as abuse?I, myself have experienced physical, emotional, and mental abuse to different degrees.
The Procrastinating Perfectionist
Are you a procrastinating perfectionist? I once read an article dealing with the fear of failure and success. The author described it as the following: "The curse of the procrastinating perfectionist".
Second Thoughts? Think Again!
Life is perfect. If you have read these articles long enough, you have seen this written in several different forms and ways.
7 Strategies To Make Room For Money
Laws of the Attraction notwithstanding, there are several external ways that you can make room for more money in your life.Yes, there are those of you who can manifest whatever you want, whenever you want.
What Footsie Taught Us!
We have just inherited a rag, tag and bobtail of a dog called 'Footsie'. She was found three weeks ago wandering around outside a local restaurant for a couple of days looking for food.