Bookshelves Are A Social Construct

I’m going to admit something that might be controversial. I don’t mean to sensationalize this most sacred of blog spaces, but what I’m about say is contrary to almost any person I have ever met.

I hope you’re ready.

I genuinely enjoy building Ikea furniture.

There.

I said it.

I had a bookshelf in my office that I inherited from my forebearers. It was not my favorite bookshelf, but it served its purpose. It had drawers and spaces to put things. It simply … was… But time makes fools of the best of us, and the cheap old bookshelf could hardly be described as the best of us. It broke. The drawers stopped opening and closing properly and without the drawers it ceased to perform it’s sole useful function. But when God breaks a bookshelf he opens a window (I think I’m using that phrase correctly).

I bought a new bookshelf! But not just any bookshelf, it’s a “HIFIT 71" H Black Bookshelf with Drawers, 31.5" Wide Bookshelves and Bookcases with 3 Extra Large Drawers & 3 Open Deep Shelves, Vintage Tall Storage Cabinet for Home Office, Living Room.” I know, I was surprised I could get my hands on one, too. And this mammoth bookshelf came in the most mundane of packages, a simple cardboard box. The simplicity and compactness of the boxes obscured the reality that within was a complex edifice, to be constructed by hand by only the most intrepid of bookshelf-needers.

Look no further, friends, for I am that bookshelf-needer.

Here’s the truth – I’m not a particularly handy person. I am not a dab hand at jigsaws or crossbeams. I’m more of a jigsaw puzzle and crosswords kind of person. When thinking of a list of folks to call for help building a pagoda, I would not show up anywhere on the list. I’m barely on the list of people who can identify a pagoda. Now if you need help with a wedding, that I’m good for.

The stain on my personage that is my self-professed construction deficiency is slightly mollified, however, when I need to build an Ikea-style piece of furniture. There are pictures that tell you what to do! You don’t even have to read! You don’t have to saw or hammer or… whatever else people do when building a bookshelf (measuring, maybe?). Simple tools for a simple man.

But I see it as a fun puzzle! And, it helps me feel like I’m a good thing-builder. It started as a pile of boards and all of a sudden it became a bookshelf. And I did that.

Things in the world can be overwhelming and difficult. Sometimes you just need a win. I want to be proud of my new bookshelf, which I built with my own two hands. So I will be. Find the good parts of the little things and remember that you did something well.  

Peace,

Rev. Jeff Fox-Kline

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At Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church, we’re all about celebrating the small wins and finding joy in the everyday. Whether you’re building bookshelves or building community, you don’t have to do it alone. Come be part of our community this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for a meaningful time of worship and connection. There’s always room for you here—no assembly required.