Things Wear Out

A writer spends a lot of time sitting. Apparently I sit aggressively. In a recent venue change, my new landlord noted how worn my office chair is. He commented to my two sons as they helped move furniture that they should make sure Mom got a new chair for Christmas. I shrugged it off and kept using the worn out chair.

The cushions, practically nonexistent, had long since been augmented with additional padding, and the leather cracked and chipped away. Still I sat writing and teaching students to write, not paying attention to the decay beneath me. Until, that is, certain parts of mine began aching, and these old bones protested their unpadded perch. I relented and purchased a new leather office chair, and, my… oh my, what a difference. It wasn’t until I sat the two side by side that I realized how truly worn the old chair looked.

This week, when a friend challenged me to the 7-Day Love Your Spouse Challenge on Facebook, I noticed something else that wears out. My first post was a photo of our wedding, and man… oh, man, how I’d like to have that girl’s face and body back. Today she carries a few more pounds and wrinkles than that young gal; however, she has also borne adversity that grew her in knowledge and wisdom. She stayed strong when marriage wasn’t easy and when her children were sick and struggling. She had looked in the mirror every day over these past twenty-seven years, but somehow the gradual changes hadn’t registered. With each passing day, that youthful beauty she didn’t even know she had at the time began to fade, replaced with something far more important.

I can’t quite bring myself to throw out the aged and crinkled leather chair just yet. It bore witness to four books, hundreds of articles, thousands of class hours training young writers and praying for their needs. The woman inflicting damage upon that relic grew and matured during her time there. She gained confidence, communed with God through His Word, prayed through some very difficult days, and walked away with scars. Yes, things wear out, but some just get better with age.

Eventually I’ll throw that old chair out, but I’ve decided this old girl’s a keeper.

…and that’s the view from My Front Porch.