Building Things
i’m a strong believer that we’re all a work in progress. that life ebb and flows, but it’s how we flow with the current and adapt that makes this special life worth living.
over the years i’ve kept my circle close, but i’ve gravitated to people who inspire and push me, who bring a new perspective and exhilarating experiences. who say fuck it, let’s do it. i mean in a life of rinse in repeat, this shit is too short and why wouldn’t we. because if every day was a hamster wheel of the day before, i think we’d all go a little mad at some point. wouldn’t you?
let’s rewind to last night, shall we…? i went to my first adult gymnastics class at chelsea piers — the first one i’ve been to since i was a little girl. growing up, my mom used to let me play hookie one day from camp a summer and every year, and i would go to chelsea piers with her.. i was a pretty damn good spider-monkey on the rock wall and i loved running from the uneven bars, to the trampoline and winding up heaving my way out of the foam pit. sweaty and rosy cheeks. so last night, at age 27, i did my first adult gymnastics class at chelsea piers and i have to say…it was pretty damn awesome. to be back in a place that used to bring me so much joy, but i haven’t been to in so many years, felt like a full on time warp. to run a few laps on the floor for our warm up, feel the foam beneath my feet, breathe in that air that just has a certain tang to it — brought me right back to my seven year old self. after we spent an hour on the floor, i snuck away for a few minutes. i jumped on the trampoline like i did when i was a little girl, and flung myself into the foam pit. sweaty and rosy cheeks. was i good at it? hello no. but as i sat in the foam pit for a minute, time stood still. i found myself feeling like the four walls were an escape from the world around me, an escape from the ping of my slack, or the buzz of my phone. an escape from my routine that tends to take me in a very similar direction most days — but on that thursday night it was broken. while i could feel gravity feeling a little stronger than i did when i was a whole lot lighter, it was all worth it. i was allowing myself to flow in a new direction — out of the box shall we say.
and so let’s rewind to few months ago. nick and i were roaming into our neighborhood vintage furniture store, furnish green. a place that is conveniently located around the corner from our apartment (i’m actually sitting across from it right now, sipping my martini as i type) and i love to periodically stop in. there is a constant flow of pieces from different eras and for the most part — they do an excellent job storytelling each item. as we split up in the store, nick found this mid century bamboo bar and immediately knew we would soon have a new home for it. he started to share with me about how we could refurbish it and give it a second life — something i had always done with clothing but had never done with furniture before. i always had loved the idea of turning something old and making it new again with furniture, but never had the — well frankly — balls do to it myself. throughout college, nick had worked in construction and as he was talking about the process we were going to go through together, i became excited to learn something new. so we went to an ATM, grabbed cash out, and that was it. we rolled it (well nick rolled it and i directed him) around the corner to the apartment and find it’s new home. the following weekend, we ventured to home depot, purchased sand paper, primer, and probably a few other things i’m forgetting right now. let’s get this straight, this isn’t a manual of how to DIY something, but more about my experiencing building it.
the following weekend happened to have a rainy sunday, so we got a bottle of wine and went to work. sanding every fucking corner, every drawer, every edge. i didn’t know how much time it would take nor how terrible my brush strokes could be. while i’ve always thought of myself as creative, fuck i haven’t i hadn’t felt like a beginner in that way in a while. knowing what it would look like, but not knowing how we’d get there with this adopted piece. but i liked learning something new and feeling like a kid all over again in 2nd grade art class. but, slowly i got the hang of it. we finally we made our way to the finishing touches and picked out a kelly green to color block the top. once we pulled back the tape … BAM!!! it was finally complete.
it’s funny, i’ve gone in different phases of my life where i have tried to plan everything that was going to come next. down to a fucking t — and when i felt like i couldn’t control or predict it, i would get anxious and it would create a nasty cycle. but as i get more comfortable in me, i’ve tried to let the past and fucking unpredictable future go. i’ve tried my best (sometimes better than others) to live in the experience of each moment, to try my best to be present, and to relish in the new. it can be fucking uncomfortable, but it’s also those moments that make me feel the most alive and remind me that i’m still just that little girl inside. with wide open eyes and a whole world to experience.
