January 6, 2003
DOWN HOME:
Firm ideas about new mattresses
___While I don't consider myself a foot-dragging person, I concede I exhibited that kind of behavior a couple of weekends ago. My wife, bless her heart, took it all in stride.
___We both received some cash for Christmas, and Joanna decided it would make good seed money to invest in a new mattress and boxed springs.
___She had a point, of course.
___We got our old mattress when our first daughter, Lindsay, was 1, which makes it 18 years old. It was an OK mattress, but not exceptional. I don't know many young couples with babies who can afford to buy anything exceptional, and we were no, uh, exception.
MARV KNOX
Editor
___The years took a toll on our mattress. Some time ago, it started looking like a relief map of the Appalachian Mountains--a long, low ridge bordered by two valleys.
___Many mornings, either Jo or I would awaken with a stiff neck or sore back and pledge that now was the time and this was the day to seek a new mattress.
___Still, I never could crank up much energy for mattress-shopping. A mattress is like so many other items that just aren't fun to buy. You could call them "household infrastructure."
___Did you ever know someone who got enthused about purchasing a new hot-water heater? How about tires for the family sedan? Or light bulbs, heating/air conditioning filters, door locks or a replacement garbage disposal?
___This is the kind of stuff we take for granted. It ought to be there, and it ought to work, whatever that means. Who wants to spend money on it?
___So, when Jo declared the need to shop for a mattress, I declared the need to watch a football game on TV. She was to scout ahead and determine the acceptable possibilities, and then I was to go with her to help make the final decision, since I will occupy half the mattress for the coming decades.
___But mattress salespeople apparently have the negotiating power of used-car salesmen, the ability to offer "not-to-be-outdone" deals, as long as the shopper signs on the bottom line there and then. Jo called from the store, and I provided the tried-and-true response that has made wives happy for millennia: "Yes, dear. Whatever you decide is hunky-dory with me."
___The next day, two men delivered our new mattress and boxed springs. They're thicker than the old ones, so now we need new sheets, something else I just love to buy.
___Spending good money on household infrastructure reminded me of some folks' attitudes about church. They may rave about exciting features, like youth events or mission projects, but they won't tithe in order to support the infrastructure that makes ministry possible.
___Much like operating a home, the little, unglamorous parts of church make a big difference. Sometimes, an eternal difference.
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