Karma

Photo by Anastase Maragos on Unsplash

When I was younger, I loved rearranging things, furniture, kitchenware, wall hangings and the list went on. I now realize it was my way of coping with stress from my abusive first marriage. My second husband and our three kids, having no clue as to the reason behind my compulsiveness, complained, often and loud. They tired of the treasure hunt to find the silverware, the plates, pots and pans, and glassware. One night was the final straw for my sweet husband.

Insomnia plagued me for years for the same reason as my compulsive rearranging. During a particularly bad night, I snuck out of bed and rearranged the living room and family room, hoping the mental and physical exercise would tire me enough to sleep. About halfway through, I collapsed, too tired to clean up my mess. I left plants out in the middle of the room and furniture at odd angles.

Early the next morning, this exclamation from my husband levitated me from the bed. “We’ve been robbed! Wait, the TV is still here. And the stereo. Who’d steal the plants?”

By the time I sauntered into the living room, he’d figured it out. He glared at me. “You will never again rearrange furniture in the middle of the night. Understand?”

I nodded. “I promise.”

I kept that promise, but I got into trouble one other time. Home alone, I gave into another compulsion to rearrange. Believing I was being smart, I tagged all the wires on the entertainment system so I could move it and reattach everything. However, the TV was one of the large and heavy early models. I managed to roll it about halfway across the room before it tipped. I watched in horror as it landed with a loud crash and all my little tabs floated in the air like confetti. The TV survived the rough landing, but after my husband spent two hours trying to figure out how to reconnect everything his tech savvy nephew had set up, He forbid me from moving furniture, ever.

Jump thirty years into the future. The Queen of Rearranging has met her match. My current husband (I've remarried after being widowed twice) wants to move furniture every few months. That’s more than even I can stand.

However, he bribed me with a designated hobby room if I'd help move those large bookcases and his horridly heavy desk. (It’s so big and heavy, the top comes off to make it easier to move.)  It turned into a chain reaction. We ended up moving furniture in every room.  The only thing we didn’t move was the 80-inch TV. (There's some Karma in that!)

I’m tired and bruised. Add to my tale of woe, when I carried in one of the decoration boxes in from the garage, a fire ant stung my arm. The same arm the yellow jacket stung me this last summer. We don’t have a fire ant nest in the garage. I checked. In fact, there isn’t a single red ant in there, except the one on that box. I swear if there is a biting-stinging bug within fifty miles, it will find me. It’s been three days, and it still hurts. (Insert proper whine.)

Still, the new arrangements solved several issues we’ve had with the house. I shared the guest room with my art. When I wanted to sew, I had to use the dining table. We used the family room only when we had company, which is rare since our family lives in another state. We had only two chairs in the living room, now we have more. The former family room is now a more useable den. And I have a designated hobby room! First time in my life I don’t have to put everything away the moment I’m done painting or sewing.

I haven’t told all the family or friends about this last rearranging adventure, but I can already hear them laughing, pointing fingers and saying, “Haha! Karma strikes again!”

Here are some before and after photos. I am happy with the results, Karma or not. 

What about you? Do like to rearrange or are you happy with things the way they are?