December 13, 2009

Ordinary



I like ordinary things. Plain, everyday things that have been lived with for a long time. New has little appeal for me, instead it’s the scratched piece, or the one with a dent I like. The well-loved, but not threadbare thing I, or someone else, have owned for years. There’s a sense of continuity that makes me feel at home.

When I look around my house I see the couch my husband brought from his first marriage (it’s in ridiculously good condition) and the china hutch I brought from mine, a cupboard my husband made using old glass doors I found at a garage sale, a desk I bought at an estate sale 27 years ago. And little things: cloth napkins that get softer with each washing, a small clock I can hear tick-tocking from the other side of the house, mixing bowls I’ve collected from thrift stores and garage sales, the afghan I crocheted while healing from my first heartbreak a lifetime ago.

They’re all ordinary things, simple belongings that remind me that I’m making a home to live in for a long time. They’re part of my future now, as well as my history.

What ordinary thing makes you feel cozy in your home? Does it have a story?

4 comments:

kate i said...

Hi Cara, Thanks for stopping by and saying hello! I love your sweet Plum Cottage site and your drawer full of lovely, soft napkins...I will be back soon for another visit.

Star said...

Books that have been read again and again; the couch, chair and bed I bought for my first home (in 1984!); favorite movies that seem like old friends; handmade things that I know are uniquely mine.

I love the sound of your napkins, softened over time.

Christine said...

Everything I own has a story!
That's what I love about our home, all the stories.

Great picture!

Bella Rum said...

I could have written this myself. I love old things and thrift shops and scratched furniture and vintage ornaments. It's all about how you put it together. I don't know. It all makes me feel so comforted.

You hit the nail on the head when you said, "They’re part of my future now, as well as my history."