The Magic Carpet Ride

Finally, three weeks after ordering, my new sitting room rug has arrived. There's still a few things to replace, like a rug and drapes for the bedroom, but bit by bit the house is looking like home. The old parlor carpet was given to me by Seth a dozen years ago. Wool, and well made, it took the flood to kill it. It was tough to give up, as I'm sentimental and it represented years of memories. This one isn't nearly the same quality, but it's good looking and I could afford it at 75 bucks. Funnily, it's the exact same colors as my Nana's old oriental, except this one's half the size and made in Saudi Arabia, not Persia.

So now comes the figuring out part. It's tightly rolled and wrapped in plastic, and not very heavy. It's 5X8, so not too big either. All manageable. But as with most things, it's the finagling into its spot that's dicey. I'm still pretty much one-armed and one-legged. Neither of which is a total obstacle, just requires some thought before action. A lot of thought, actually.

These careful planning steps didn't used to be necessary. I'd've simply picked up the coffee table, spread the carpet, lift whatever furniture legs onto it  and put the coffee table back. Now it's strategy. Unroll it beforehand and slide it down and under from off the sofa, using the shorter width? Lay it down and unroll it into place, lifting the legs of the coffee table as it goes, by the length? Once it's on the ground will I be able to reach down to it or do I have to sit and use my leg to get it in place? This is why everything takes seven times the time it did; because you have to figure out how best to do something so it can be done, and done without injury.

In the end, I sat on the sofa and unrolled it lengthwise, pushing with my leg. As it hit the coffee table legs I lifted them over, then pushing the coffee table- heavy as it is- helped me drag and flatten the carpet in place. The whole operation took maybe 15 minutes. Much less time than the ruminating took.

This is probably a boring post, but I feel it's important for people to know how the disabled get things done given the way they are. It takes time and thought, and puts you in a different mindset than the able-bodied. We have to look for how we can accomplish things in new circumstance, sometimes with ever-changing faculties, and get it finished without hurting ourselves. It's no snap of the fingers, but it can be done. If one values their independence, one finds a way. The feeling of accomplishment is worth it.

And now my magic carpet looks terrific. It's even changed the acoustics. Can't wait to get the place finished and decorate!