She's picked out a king-sized bed

When I was in third grade my parents built a massive addition to their house. The doubled the size of the family room and added a formal dining room and two more bedrooms. One of the new bedrooms was to be mine until I was twelve and moved into the super-cool downstairs bedroom.

I was also lucky enough to get brand-new furniture for my new room. Every set I liked was extremely girly and complete with canopy beds. My mother, on the other hand, liked a more sedate and understated set. She ordered that set without telling me. I came home from school one day, ran up the stairs like a maniac and threw open the door to my room to take in what I thought was a cool new bedroom set. It wasn't. I hated the furniture in the store and I hated it more in my room. I was pissed. Four years later I moved into the downstairs bedroom, put a mattress and box spring on the floor and put all my clothes in the walk-in closet. The bedroom furniture was abandoned. Good riddance.

A bit after that my mother "lent" it to my grandmother. It's important to note at this point in the tale that my grandmother is terrible at taking care of possessions. She is sloppy and careless and it retrospect I am amazed my mother actually let her use it.

Nanny has been using the dresser and bed for the last 20 years. As you may or may not know, she will no longer be living on her own and will be in a nursing home/rehabilitation facility for the rest of her life. My mom and I have spent days closing her apartment. We examined and shredded countless documents...we gathered a lifetime of photographs to scan and share with the family...we made numerous trips to the trash and Goodwill. All that remains at this point is the furniture.

The bedroom set is a disaster. The mirror to the dresser is broken and in pieces behind it on the floor. Every single drawer is busted. The bed frame is unstable and all the surfaces are scratched. At first my mother considered bringing it back to her house and trying to repair it, but I believe she's changed her mind for good.

And here's where it gets kooky. Even as an adult I don't like this bedroom furniture. If I had a daughter I would buy her something new and something she would enjoy. If I had a house with an empty bedroom I would never use this...I'd prefer nothing. Yet, I am saddened by this situation. I am saddened that this furniture I have hated since 1980 is either going to end up in a dumpster or salvaged by another tenant of the senior citizen's apartment building.

I believe I am upset for a variety of reasons. First of all, it's just a sad situation where my grandmother is concerned. And second, I'm just not good at letting go and this stupid dresser and bed is the last tangible piece of my childhood. A time when my life was so sheltered and protected that the worst thing that happened to me was I was pissed I didn't get a canopy bed. It was a time when I always felt safe and those days are long gone. I've known that for quite some time, but having it shoved in my face makes it much more real.

My title is from Ain't That a Kick in the Head by Dean Martin

And since this one of my all-time favorites, I thought I'd share the song with you. There's a ton a coll Rat Pack pictures to enjoy as well!