For the very first official splurge of cash in my life, I went out and bought myself a table.
The table over a sofa. I lounged on my mattress.
The table over a bedframe. My mattress was directly on the floor.
The table over travel. How could I travel widely if my daily journey had no table at which to start and end?
My chosen table was not bought off the shelf from any known store, but a one-of-a-kind refurbished table, that had had a long life before me, and was ready to serve again. I wanted a table with good juju from a life well-lived, because I was just starting and needed something solid on which to set my dreams. The table was like wearing a Little Black Dress with a mullet hairstyle. Sounds awful, but it was glorious! It could go from day to night in a cinch. The table wasn’t so precious that I couldn’t work on it and bang it up, but it was elegant enough to stand proud. The mullet element is because it was all business in the front, a nice grand piano curve to it, but it opened up to expand, revealing a party atmosphere with a bright red painted top. That table represented everything I aspired to be, and still aspire to be.
We use the table metaphorically in speech because it is a place where all the important things happen:
At the table.
Seat at the table.
On the table.
Under the table.
Turn the table.
Bring to the table.
Round table.
Table talk.
My favorite saying is set the table.
Setting the table is the same as setting yourself up for success. You lay out what is needed and you make it beautiful. It’s a creative process in itself. When you’re ready, you take your rightful seat and dish it out!
