I live in south Wheaton where both Naperville Road and Butterfield Road are under construction – and though I try not to drive in the mess of lane closures, flashing arrows and orange construction cones whenever possible – there are times I simply can’t avoid it. On one section of Butterfield as you’re heading west, the road narrows from two lanes of traffic to one almost immediately after a stop light. Leading up to where the lanes merge are multiple signs as well as a flashing arrow which is visible a good 1/2 mile before the one lane is no longer drivable.
Any driver who drives defensively would be scanning ahead and moving over long before there remotely could be any issues – yet daily I see drivers who stop at the light in the lane that is not drivable shortly after the intersection. Yes, many of those driver are what would be called “distracted” drivers and then some are simply drivers who think they can floor it when the light turns green and pull in front of a long line of car.
Without fail, I am extremely irritated by those drivers especially if they “win” and get ahead of the rest of us who are patiently waiting our turn – and they always seem to win since there always seems to be some driver who allows them to merge. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want them punished or sitting in their non-drivable lane forever – just until the traffic has passed that would have been in front of them if they had moved over earlier.
I hope you’re chuckling because I’m certainly shaking my head at myself – this sense of right/wrong, black/white, fair/unfair has been a part of my personality since I was young – and I’m not proud of it. Becoming a woman of grace – a willow, as one of my volunteers often reminds me – since a willow tends to move with the wind instead of fight it – is a daily decision.
Yes, there are many issues I should stand firm about – which is when my oak-likeness works well for me – but then there are times it really doesn’t matter – such as allowing a driver to merge into my lane of traffic without honking my horn (just to set the record straight – I haven’t actually blown my horn at anyone but I have muttered, “you fathead” under my breath).
My commitment to Outreach’s mission of helping those most in need in DuPage County through the selling of quality used furniture – is one of those non-negotiables. Wanting everyone who walks through our doors every Friday from 1 to 8 and Saturday from 9 to 4 to feel welcomed, valued and respected – is another one.
And if you did walk through Bobs Furniture’s doors either Friday or Saturday what “new” merchandise would you find? Excellent question – let’s take a look at some of the things Dan and Chris picked up for donation this week!
beautiful old desk priced $125
fun game table, remove chess/checker top and you there’s a back gammon board, flip chess/checker top over and there’s a “normal” end table top – gaming pieces are by the register and the total price for all this wonderfulness is $85
micro-suede love seat priced $65; matching sofa for $40 – both need to be cleaned – sofa seat cushions are most stained (you can see dirt in the photo and you can’t flip the cushions over)
sweet wicker chair and cushion for $65
in trying to capture the true color of these deep mossy green pieces – I took one photo with my flash on and the rest with it off – so the first two photos are the same sofa. Very nice, squishy, comfortable sofa – both ends recline (though the sofa is not a wall-hugger, which means you need some room behind the piece in order for the ends to fully recline) priced $225; second identical sofa is in as good condition as the first and also priced $225; matching rocker/recliner is much more worn – but still in fine condition and priced $85
lovely wicker chair and ottoman with floral cushions priced $125
even with better lighting in the store, I had a hard time determining the color of this Lazboy chair and ottoman – dark green/blue is the best thing I came up with and the two pieces are priced $85
this rocker/recliner is also by Lazboy and it’s in great condition and a fabulous color to boot! Priced $125
fantastic set by Pennsylvania House – if you look closely you’ll notice the hardware is brass on two pieces and black on the other two pieces. Donor painted the hardware black at some point – so you could paint it all black or change out the hardware completely if you were interested in purchasing the whole set – but it’s priced individually and here are the prices: tall chest of drawers (door opens and there are adjustable shelves) $195; night stand $75; dresser (no mirror) priced $125; second night stand is also $75
amazing retro rolling kitchen cart – top shelf lifts off and could be used as a warming tray IF there were a plug to plug it in AND the donor didn’t think it would work even if you had the plug – yet a very fun, funky piece (needs some cleaning up and the wheels greased so they’d roll more easily) priced $25
IKEA leather-like chair and ottoman priced $65
mission style dresser for $60
sofa priced $50; matching love seat for $40
unusual wicker and soft purple chair priced $35
lovely dark blue sleeper sofa priced $135
fabulous, soft, comfy sofa priced $135 (needs some spot cleaning – especially the arms)
unbelievable retro drop-leaf table with six amazing chairs (I couldn’t find any labels on any of the pieces but I love the lines of the chairs – see how the back spindles go past the seat cushion? Love) priced $165 for the whole set
Rose Hill wingback chair priced $75
Flexsteel sofa priced $65; matching love seat for $50
truly love these two retro yellow/gold side chairs but they’re a total re-upholstery job so are priced $5 each (yep – only five bucks)
I couldn’t get at a good angle to take a photo of this beautiful rustic, green entertainment center – but it’s amazing and priced $235
I hope you know that I’d allow you, dear reader, to merge into my lane of traffic with a wave and a smile! Now if I could just do the same with the rest of the distracted, hot-dogging fatheads out there!
Grace and kindness, so simple in theory…
Comments "Road construction, grace and furniture–read on to learn the connection (warning, it’s sorta lame)!"
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