Ode to the Chairs I Long to Build

There's a chair in pieces in my living room.

I thought it was a good idea to order them. Yes, there are two. One is still in the box in another room. The description online said that partial assembly is required. From the looks of it, complete assembly is required. I used to have a husband who did these things for me. Since I got divorced, I've been learning to do some of these things myself. At least anything I want to have happen. About four years ago I repainted my chest of drawers and changed the drawer pulls, and two years ago I painted a nightstand that has glass doors and a drawer. That was a nightmare. Painting in a tiny apartment is also a nightmare. The only floor space for something like this is in my bedroom. I slept with the windows open but I hate to think about the fumes I was breathing. 

I'm stalling.

The unassembled chair waits on my living room floor. It was delivered about a month ago. I've been looking at the boxes and trying to screw up my courage. There's the back, the seat, two arm/leg pieces, something called a stretcher, a lot of hardware, and an Allen wrench. I thought if I pulled one of them out of the box, some kind of magic would happen and I'd suddenly be able to do it. I'm laughing at myself as I'm writing this. I've already tried to screw the back to the seat. The space is tight and the way the directions say to do it is impossible, but I'll figure it out. I have to, right?

My approach to trying something new is to imagine a positive result and to see myself doing it. I've done that with kayaking, with hiking the desert, with various household projects, in my career, giving birth and raising children. And probably with other things that aren't coming to mind. I'm meeting a friend for tea later and, until then, I'll be working on the chair. It's probably a negotiation - between me and the chair. Or between me and myself. Either way, I'm looking forward to being one step closer to my vision of an eclectic mid-century design scheme in my living room. 

A Hundred Days of Happiness is a daily writing practice that opens a landscape of discovery into my own human experience. 

Katherine Cartwright has been blogging since 2012 and every year brings new wonders. She asks big questions of the small things in life.