We believe in mending

Whether it’s a thing or a relationship, I believe in mending, patching and restoring rather than discarding.

I learned this years ago from my then fourteen-year-old son. We couldn’t afford good furniture, so we bought cheap ones made from discarded wood. Shelves, tables and chairs bought from wayside workshops served our needs; including study tables for our two children. We covered the tables with plastic sheets for smoothness and good looks.

        

With time, the table covers started tearing. So hubby and I went and bought new ones. My teenage son refused to use the new cover, saying, “The old cover has a lot of battle scars, I’d rather keep it.” So he patched it up with black tape and continued to use it.

Our daughter has the same philosophy. She’s begging us to keep some old cane furniture we considered getting rid of.

Now, we have this old suitcase which has travelled far and wide, has suffered wear and tear. Recently, it was under threat of being chucked for a new one. But a bit of needlework has made it travel-worthy again. Thus we get to keep our old friend and it escapes being thrown out to become another environment pollutant. And we save a few grands too, which may be put to good use.

Even difficult human relationships can often be restored, depending on how much we value them and how hard we’re willing to try.