Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – July 22, 2004

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – July 22, 2004 

　Rocking Chairs

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – July 22, 2004 – Whenever I think of rocking chairs, I imagine Lily Tomlin from her Laugh-In days, sitting on the giant rocking chair and pretending to be a Edith Ann as she talked to the camera. It was a very funny sketch and a stationary chair just wouldn’t have had the same effect.

Rocking chairs are a breed apart and I can’t think of a home that isn’t made better by the addition of one. They come in all shapes and sizes and can be made of any material or combination of same.

Think for a moment about the ones you’ve seen over the years and the association that comes with the chair. For instance, there is the porch rocker, the wicker garden rocker, the padded rocking chair in a nursery and Grandmother’s old pine rocking chair. There are ones made of bamboo and rattan and the ones with a wood frame and a caned seat and back. Leather, canvas and padded upholstered rocking chairs are practical and comfortable and a welcome extra chair, anytime – anywhere.

I once spent five years looking for the right rocking chair. I wasn’t quite sure if I’d ever find it, but one day when I wasn’t looking, there it was, in a Chinese store on Spadina Avenue. It has a high, rounded back, well spaced arms and is comfortable to sit in. The rockers are long enough that I can put my feet up on the tips while I rock back and forth. It was well worth the wait. It sits in my third floor bedroom, and is my chair of choice for evening reading in the winter, or quiet time thinking in front of the fireplace.

A rocking chair is feminine, maternal, solid, soothing and utilitarian. It has no pretence. It’s not trying to be an elegant wing back, a gentleman’s chair, a club chair or an over-stuffed companion to the living room sofa. It waits at the ready for anyone to sit down for a leisurely rock.

Babies the world over are fed and then lulled to sleep in rocking chairs. Porch rockers are the answer to long, lazy summer afternoons with a good book and a pitcher of lemonade. Rockers in front of the fireplace offer solace and a respite from winter drudgery. White wicker rocking chairs with bright, flowered cushions are a great addition to any garden patio or deck.

A rocking chair says, “Welcome, stop by, sit down, get comfortable and stay awhile. If you don’t own one, you may want to go on a hunt. There are endless stores that sell them, but a great place to start your hunt may be at a flea market or auction sale. Don’t buy any old rocking chair just so you can say you have one.

Take it for a nice long test rock and imagine where it will go in your home. Choose wisely, because a good rocking chair will be your companion for life. Memories are created in these comfortable chairs. A rocking chair mustn’t become a depository for old jeans and sweaters – it’s meant to be well used and loved.