Take Care of One Another

Check out the job the guys did securing the recliner

I found a bargain of a recliner online a couple of days ago. It was the last one of its make and model so it was close to half what some recliners cost. I purchased it online and made plans to pick it up yesterday after work. It would have been nice to have it delivered, but I wasn't willing to pay the $59.00 delivery fee on such a cheap item.

I've bought my fair share of recliners over the years and I know that they come in two sections -- one of which is usually hard to fit into a Ford Focus like mine, but it can be done.

When I pulled into the pick up lane yesterday at the furniture store, I had second thoughts about their chair fitting in my car. The box was huge. The two guys who wheeled it out tried to conceal their disappointment, but their slight shoulder sag told me they knew we could be in for an interesting experiment.

The back portion of the recliner fit easily in my back seat. The base, however, didn't look like it would fit anywhere inside the car or the trunk. The guys figured out a way to make it fit in the trunk and then they went to work tying ropes around it to keep it steady for the drive home -- which, by the way, was during the front end of rush hour.

They made me sign a waiver saying the furniture store is not responsible if something happens to the chair while in-transit. Was it really worth saving the delivery fee? Well, yes, if I got the thing home without it falling out of the trunk and into a busy intersection causing an accident -- for which I, or my insurance company, would be responsible.

So, I pulled away from the furniture store trusting that the two guys who tied my recliner into my car did a good job. I took back streets as often as possible, leaving my radio off so I could hear any dreaded crashing noises coming from behind my vehicle. I cringed when I hit bumps and breathed a sigh of relief with each corner I turned without any problems.

I arrived home safely and checked the trunk. The base of the recliner hadn't moved an inch. So, to my delight, I saved $59.00 and had the recliner set up in no time. I'm even writing this post from it. But this process reminded me how much we trust people we don't know.

I trusted the guys who tied my recliner in my trunk. The people who drove behind me, trusted me to make sure the recliner was secure enough not to fall into their path.

And so it goes.

Years ago, there used to be a television anchor in Omaha who signed off each night by saying, "Have a good night. Take care of one another."

That's a good motto.