Rewarded
When we were newly married, we purchased our first lounge from friends who were moving interstate. Our secondhand lounge along with some other pieces of furniture cost $100, a princely sum to us at the time. We assured ourselves it was just until we could afford something better, as we were not happy with our ‘choice’. The fabric was rough, it was ugly and it was brown, a colour I didn’t like. The upside was, the fabric was tough, it hid the dirt and it contained a fold out double bed. It was well that we found some positive points as “just until we could afford something better” turned out to be many years later. With each passing year we disliked that lounge more with a growing fervour. It’s ‘positives’ became a mantra.
Fifteen years later a neighbour was upgrading her lounge and we become the proud owners of a mushroom pink lounge. It was such a pretty colour, so comfortable and came with two single seats. With the rising cost of $350 we had upgraded our price bracket too. It was with great delight that we relegated our brown lounge to the paddock to await a trip to the tip. It still awaits now, a home of, I daresay, mice and snakes, we have no pity at all.
Pretty however didn’t necessarily equate with durability, the suede fabric was quick to tear, despite repairs it continued to rip. The comfort wasn’t as successful as originally thought as the cushions hid a problem. The arm rests would often slip sideways and when the younger children threw their heads down they would hurt their heads badly on the timber frame underneath. The pink did not hide the dirt as well as brown. Four years after acquisition the lounge was starting to look the ‘worse for wear’. We started dreaming of our next lounge, it would be leather, a dark colour and large enough to seat us all.
The week of our birthdays PC entered our local furniture store to pick up a computer game the boys had ordered. He rang me from the store rather excited, a leather lounge was on a massive price reduction and it fit our criteria for our dream lounge. He wanted me to come in to see if I liked it. That afternoon we met at the store and after sitting on all leather lounges in the store we ‘sealed the deal’. It was a very exciting moment when the lounge was delivered the next day, just in time for our birthdays.
Our leather lounge has lived up to expectations, it looks terrific, is easy to take care of and is extremely comfortable. A couple of the children have slept on it and declare it is as comfortable as their beds. Whilst over the years we focused on the positives of our previous lounges, the ‘horrid brown’ and the ‘disappointing pink’, we value our leather lounge all the more for those years. Nineteen years is a long time to wait for your dream lounge, however I believe it is all the sweeter for waiting.
8 Comments
ccc
I love it! I want one like that too…nice and large and comfy 🙂
Sue Elvis
Erin,
A very belated happy birthday! I love your birthday present and so does your family by the looks of it. I guess your lounge has extra value and pleasure because you waited so long for it. I enjoyed reading your story and I really agree that things should be earned before you can have them. Then they are very much appreciated.
Our first sofa was a second-hand one given to us by my parents. It started swallowing our guests when the webbing under the cushions gave way. We replaced it with our second-hand St Joseph's sofa, and then after 25 years of marriage we finally got our first brand new lounge – a leather one. I was so excited but I have to admit we don't sit on it very often. We prefer our old St Joseph's sofa which looks awful but is sooo comfortable!
Thank you for the link to my lounge story, Erin, and the emails. I have enjoyed sharing thoughts on this subject.
God bless!
Vicky
Erin,
We had to wait many years for our leather lounge, too, and, along the way, we put up with grotty, old eyesores that had us sitting with our bottoms near the floor and our knees in our chests. But, much to my shame, I became really mean, after our new lounge arrived. I took to shooing everyone away from it out of fear they'd reduce it to the state of our old monstrosity (Look at your dirty feet! We worked long and hard… etc, etc) and, for a little while, the poor children got more peace from sitting on the floor (hangs head, guiltily…). But, the novelty finally wore off and I discovered that it's quite easy to get leather restored – so, now, we just enjoy it:-D
Ingi Mc
I totally agree with you on the "need it now" mentality! The big 4 bedroom house, the new car, the huge credit card debt, the double income. None of it is what matters! We moved waaaayyy out of Sydney to buy our first house (and now we live down the coast in a tiny house!), we have only just bought our first "new" car, and yes – a couple of years ago we got our first "new" leather lounge (but not as big as yours!! LOL). And we are happy. Great post and I love the pics!
Tracey
My lounge story is very similar. We lived with ugly couches for years, both discards from the in-laws, but they were great while the boys were little. Ours was brown too, and hideously floral, which hid all sorts of grim. We bought our dream couches not all that long back. We spent ages finding just the right lounge. Our families were laughing at how long it took us to buy a lounge but these lounges will be with us for a long, long time so we wanted to make sure we loved them. Having waited so long for them I really appreciate them.
Deanne
We all need more patience to wait for the best things.
It is too easy to see what someone else has and think you should have that too without stopping to think that those people perhaps had to work long and hard to get there and didn't have it all the first year they were married!
Owner of Homeschool Faith and Family Life Website
What a beautiful photo!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Such a wonderful example and testament you have lived before your children; that they may learn the meaning of sacrifice, waiting, dreaming, working, and then, ultimately, celebrating and bringing those dreams/goals to fruition! The lessons that your children have learned from YOURS and PC'S 19 years of waiting will be life-long-lasting!
GOD BLESS YOU with years and years of joyful "Lounge Times" Erin! I am so happy for you:)
Erin
Thank you for the b'day wishes. I so loved reading your lounge stories, truly I had no idea so many others also had sad, sad lounges. lol. What kindred spirits regards economics I have 'hanging out' here:) truthfully I was rather nervous publishing this post, as I was rather 'opinionated'.