A recliner replacement coming soon
When I asked my wife for a column idea last night, she responded with a question of her own: “What about your old recliner?” This may not seem like much to go on when it comes to writing roughly 500 words, but I knew right away what she was talking about.
For the last I-don’t-know-how-many months, Linda and I have been engaged in a back and forth discussion about replacing the easy chair I sit on for hours at a time when I’m at home. She likes to refer to it with words like “rickety” and “stinky.” These may be accurate descriptors, but that doesn’t mean I want to part with my unofficial living room throne.
The chair is actually one of two my parents gave us when we got married six-plus years ago. Even then, they were slightly used hand-me-downs from a condo they lived in for awhile. Linda has done a much better job of maintaining her chair, mostly by eating her meals at the dining room table like a normal adult rather than scarfing down food while in a partially reclined position. Over the years, my recliner has been a repository for many a table scrap and spilled beverage. And my efforts to clean up my messes have not always met the standards of a four-star hotel.
Still, I love my old recliner. It’s like the one owned by Frasier Crane’s father in that classic 90’s sitcom, but not quite as raggedy. There are no strips of duct tape covering up holes. Some of the cushioning is fraying at the edges and a few screws have popped out in the past, but for the most part, it’s still a sturdy piece of furniture.
The real challenge Linda faces is getting me to leave the chair long enough to go out and buy another one. She knows how much I hate shopping, but she also wants my input on the chair I’ll be sitting in when eating, reading, web surfing, watching TV or sleeping. That next chair will have a lot to live up to, and I can’t really expect to find the right one sight unseen.
If this were any other piece of furniture in our apartment, Linda would have just gone ahead and bought a replacement by now. She knows how to match colors with the existing decor and all of that. She even has enough patience to not just pick the first thing she sees. These are areas where I need guidance.
With our third government stimulus check now in the bank, there are really no excuses left for me. I will eventually enter a furniture store with Linda at my side, and for the third time in our history as a couple, we will jointly pick out something to buy (the other times were for our bed and a couch).
Herein lies one of the many benefits of marriage: having someone to “nudge” you in the right direction when you’re stuck sitting on the same old chair.
OUT FOR A WALK
KEVIN O’BRIEN
EDITOR
