Unwinding..

I have NO patience.    None.  Zero.  Zilch.  Put me in a traffic jam and my fingers are tapping the wheel.   When I'm forced to FINALLY make a grocery run I'm counting the people in line times the number of items in their cart and calculating which is the fastest.   But give me an old beat-up piece of furniture and a sudden calmless sweeps over me.   I see hours, days, even weeks of taking the ugly duckling and turning it into a swan.   Ahhhhh....THAT is the art and love of 'shabbying.'

Saturday mornings were made for scouring yard sales and consignment shops.   Roll out of bed, pull my hair up in a ponytail and forget the make-up.   I jump into my SUV (thank-you to the car industry who knew what I needed), pick up my girlfriend, drive-thru for coffee, and out we go.   Stop after stop until THERE!   THERE IT IS!  I saw it half-way down the block, sitting at the bottom of their drive-way.  An old bench.  Yellow flaking paint, arm-rests broken, and slightly warped seat.   But thats not what I really saw.   I saw a one-of-a-kind piece of art.   The arm-rests could be easily filled with wood putty and secured again.   The seat could be nailed down from underneath.  And the paint?   THAT'S where I see...no not see...thats where I FEEL the impending serenity and tranquility envelope me.    I can't explain it but the monotonous task of sanding off paint, hour after hour, day by day, until a piece of furniture is ready for paint, brings me great comfort and peace.  I know....for someone who possesses no patience its ironic.   The sound of the sandpaper wiping away the old with the hint of whats to come is like Christmas morning.   It doesn't get any better than this.   Sooo....I've started.   Five days of sanding with more to come.   Stay tuned and watch my ugly duck turn into that beautiful swan.