I moved out of my parents’ home 12 years ago. Since then, I’ve lived in three houses, two townhouses and four apartments. Not once have I purchased a sofa. No couch, no chaise, no settee, nothing. My last place in Hawaii was a one-bedroom apartment. I had lived in a studio prior to that move, so for the first time, I put couch shopping at the top of my to-do list. I dragged my sister around the Island to every furniture store I could think of, but still came home empty-handed.
Don’t get me wrong, there were a few pieces I liked. I took pictures and made notes, but I just couldn’t decide on one. As silly as it sounds, it felt like such a commitment. There were just too many options! Colors, materials, sizes, styles … The choices were seemingly endless. It wasn’t like I was choosing a blender or a lamp that I could easily throw into my trunk and return if I changed my mind. I would most likely have to hire people to lug it up to my 11th-floor abode — and re-hire them if I decided to get rid of it. What if I loved it in the store, but hated it once I actually saw it in the space? Or what if I liked it for a couple of weeks, then decided I just couldn’t stand to look at it every day anymore? Needless to say, I lived there for two years, sans couch.
Once I moved into my Louisville apartment, I started considering a couch purchase again. But that idea got squashed rather quickly once I made plans to move to New York in a year. I thought, why bother putting too much effort into this place if I know I’m not going to be here for long? Well, plans changed — as they often do — and I’ve now been in this apartment for 26 months. That’s right — I’ve been in the same space for two years and I STILL don’t have a couch.
Some might say I have commitment issues, though I disagree. Because I’ve finally decided that I’m almost-pretty-surely-fairly-certain that I’m going to move forward and just get a damn couch. Or a chaise, actually. I found one I really like! It’s currently sitting in my Amazon cart as I type this … And that’s where it’s been for the past three weeks.
Don’t worry, I’m gonna get it. Eventually. In the meantime, I’m enjoying something else I’ve never bought for a home — a doormat. A “Thug Life” doormat, to be exact. It was inexpensive, and I know I’m not going to get sick of it because, like other things, I had it saved in my Amazon cart for several days before I actually bought it. Seeing it made me laugh every single time I checked my cart, so I know it’ll bring me joy when I get home every day. See? I’ve committted to something. Baby steps.
Leaving the HI Life 