I didn’t expect my week to go like this. Originally my plan was to spend some time during the week assembling a curio cabinet, but the demands of work and life put it off. When winter made it too cold for my car to start–first time it’s ever happened (yes, honestly) –I decided I should spend the time I would have been running errands working on the project.
Sometimes, however, the simplest of projects can become a daunting task.
The instructions that came with the cabinet contain pictures and a full inventory, and the instructions in English are well-done compared to some that come from overseas Amazon merchants. However, the visuals don’t tell the whole story. The cabinet comes with a safety feature to secure it to the wall, but not a screw for the wall itself; only one to attach it to the cabinet. The screws to put the feet in place came with two more than in the illustration. The exploded graphic pictures don’t show how to assemble the bolts and screws, and some helpful explanations appear lacking.
The issue is this: I don’t want to end up working through all the hardware and realize I used the wrong nuts or bolts or screws. I’m experienced in Ikea, but not fluent in imported assembly from elsewhere. Perhaps they should learn to illustrate in Ikea.
Reminds me of a story my mother told me about a metal dollhouse she and my father assembled for me when I was little. The tabs and slots were not properly aligned, and they toiled through Christmas Eve and into Christmas morning to get it together. They hacked up their fingers, worked when they should’ve been sleeping, got punchy and battered, but still emerged triumphant to bring the holidays to life. They didn’t even have Ikea instructions.
When things aren’t true to the instructions, it becomes a tour through a special sub-basement of hell. One certainly wouldn’t want to take the tour during the holidays.
Once dusk came, I had to put the project aside. Daytime will come again, and with it I will need to see if the car will start before the struggle begins again. I will have to resist the urge to drive away (or walk) to the nearest hotel to get away from it all. And I don’t know if a car repair bill is in my future. Gee, I don’t even know if a finished cabinet is in my future right now.
The next step in assembling the cabinet involves placing glass walls into the base and linking the hardware to combine the corners and sides. The illustrations show two people standing by arrow-straight panels. I could use better assembly instructions instead.
I’m not one to give up easily. Obstacles are merely challenges. Too many at the same time, though, can be psychologically enervating. The key is to pace the body and shore up the spirit to accomplish the goals and overcome the roadblocks.
The cabinet will rise. The car will be restored. And atop the mental wasteland of battle, I will stand victorious.
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