An end table, lamp and meaning of work

This appears to be a simple table and lamp.

It's not.

It's the manifestation of a lesson learned.

They are the last of five pieces of furniture I purchased in 1995 from Roupe's Furniture, West Bend, Iowa, shortly after moving to West Des Moines from Cedar Falls (the others being a sofa, kitchen table and framed piece of art).

I was adamant about making the purchase in West Bend (rather than from one of 16 furniture stores in central Iowa) because I wanted to support people I knew and a community that meant so much to me (dad also generously pitched in and provided the 246-mile delivery).

I paid around $1,400 for all five pieces, a very fair price provided by the store's owners, Jim and Carol Roupe. Yet, for a recently graduated college student, the amount represented more than a small fortune. It equaled nearly 300 hours of summer work detasseling, baling hay, sorting hogs and walking beans.

Yet that correlation between work and what you wanted (and needed) made you value and care for what you purchased. It made you pause and consider quality, where and what you bought and to be truly grateful and thankful for what you had. It instilled pride and gratitude for the ability and opportunity to work hard and realize the benefits from that effort.

Today, the connection between effort and outcome has been severely compromised, diluting the value of work.

I'll forever be grateful for parents who modeled work ethic, for West Bend farmers who offered me opportunities to earn and to Roupe's Furniture for the chance to make my first big purchase and cementing lessons learned and lived.