He sat at his desk, this particular desk for over 20 years. I don’t know where he got it, but he did modify it just a bit. He added a shelf along the bottom to hold, among other things, a surge protector. And I loved sitting at his desk, writing and thinking. When he died, his desk was one of the things that I wanted most.
And so it has been, as I have sat many times at his desk since then. I moved it with me to Houston, put it in my office in the new house. And I loved it. But it was missing something – that bottom shelf and t he support in between the legs. The movers took it apart and lost those pieces somewhere along the way. I set it up anyway, planning to install another support shelf.
Today was the the day. I carefully took the measurements then ran out to obtain the shelf. I came back, borrowed some tools from the neighbor and…And the desk broke. It started leaning, then it creaked, and creaked a bit more, then fell with one last creak and a loud crash…onto the monitor, barely missing the computer. I hat to admit it, but I cried a little bit as I looked at my Dad’s desk, in pieces on the floor, legs bent, screws broken.
I must of moved it wrong while I was positioning the support board and shelf. That is the thing about trying to do things you don’t know how to do alone – sometimes you mess up and break things.
I am not a Do-it-yourself super hero. Yes, so far I have replaced the mother board and control board on the fridge, fixed the garaged door and the dishwasher, but they were easy. Watch a few YouTube videos and you can learn almost anything. But trying to fix what the movers broke of my father’s desk, when I am not ever sure how he had it modified, was quite a bit beyond my level.
And it has been placed along the wall until I figure out what to do with it and if it can be rebuilt and fixed. And that is the thing about life, those we love that are no longer with us will always be in our hearts. Even if his desk can’t be fixed, as upsetting as that might be, I still have my father in my heart, every day.
Life is short. Do the best you can, cherish those you love, and trust that everything else will work out just fine.
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