i bought a rug!
not just any rug but the exact rug that i wanted.
i kept talking about rugs and showing brian pictures of rugs and i kept sighing over and showing him the same picture of an ikea rug that i adored. for christmas the clever boy gave me a gift card with the thought that i could have a girl's day and pick out whatever i wanted - most probably the rug.
but although way back in january i did have a wonderful girl's day the only thing i came home with was a set of photo cards taking a whopping four dollars off of my gift card. four down, one hundred and ninety-six to go. the location i went to did not have the rug i wanted and at that time i was unwilling to compromise.
i wanted my rug.
far too often i compromise. i compromise on style because i think i will never find a style i love. i compromise on quality because i think i cannot afford any better. i compromise because i am unwilling to return at another time and i just need something, anything, so i'll just take this for now.
too small, too big, poor quality - for whatever reason it is not suitable and does not make me happy and in the long run it is a waste because for my lack of patience to simply wait until i have enough money, or wait until i find a style i love, or wait until the store has it in stock i am cheating myself out of an item that meets the william morris criteria of;
"have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful"
this time around i made the trip to ikea during a quiet afternoon and was able to spend time in the rug room simply browsing and ensuring myself that my chosen rug was indeed a style i could love for some time and of decent quality. it was. the quandry then became the size - the size i could "afford" was forty dollars less than the size that i knew would work the best in our living area.
so, instead of backing down and spending only what i had on my gift card i juggled numbers around in my brain and realized that with some sacrifice and a little extra work i could indeed afford the extra money it would cost to bring home the item that would make me happy for the long haul, instead of just for the moment of "well, i got something, anyway".
i even chose to bring home one of those underpads for an extra ten dollars which i am so very pleased with. for an extra hours work i am now secure in knowing that i will not be spending a good chunk of my day smoothing out wrinkles from the rug. and more smoothing of the wrinkles. and more.
i am determined that from now on i am not half-assing it. and i am now believing the new rug to be both useful and beautiful.
