Do your homework

Homework – it’s a curse. However, have you noticed that it is required in almost every area of life? Think about it. The house you buy: you are sure to check the insulation, the windows, how old the mechanicals are, the foundation, the basement for leaks and termites and other nasty surprises.

Think about a job interview: you find out the company’s line of business, where you fit into the structure, what your own strengths and weaknesses are so you can represent yourself in the best light. When you travel, you look for sights to see, good hotels to stay in, and the best deal on plane fares.

What about the person you marry? Whether you cohabit or not, when you commit to a person, you want to know about their family life, their likes and dislikes, their quirks and temper tantrums. You want to know how all their weirdness will jigsaw with yours.

Sigh. Why we don’t absorb the fact that homework is required up until we die is beyond me. Maybe we all have this lazy gene that makes us want to run from it after we finish school - I don’t know.

You can really be disappointed if you haven’t done your homework, though. A man, probably in his early thirties, came in visibly excited, lugging some items with him.

“Can you please show me the antiques value guides?” he asked eagerly. “I just came from a garage sale and I think I got some things that are really worth a lot.

I tried not to look interested, just headed over to the shelf. You already know how I feel about antiques. Nope, it didn’t work – did you really think it would?

He pulled out an extremely ugly figurine, badly painted and poorly molded by the ridges on the sides. He also had a poorly shaped pottery vase, painted in a half-hearted imitation of Art Deco. Hey, I said I didn’t collect antiques, not that I couldn’t recognize them!

He said, “I saw somebody with one of these vases on Antiques Roadshow and it was worth five thousand dollars. This looks JUST like it.”

I pulled the books off the shelf for him, and turned to the chapter in the Roadshow guide that talks about reproductions.

“This chapter should help you figure out if they are antique or not,” I said. “But!” he started to interrupt. I help up my hand and pointed to the value guides. “These books should help you figure out what they’re worth.” He nodded happily and let me guide him to a table to sit down.

I don’t want to burst his bubble. Can you imagine the excitement? I hope it IS worth five thousand dollars. But what if it’s not? You think you have the winning lottery ticket, you run to the store and you’ve missed it by one number. If he takes it to an antique dealer, they won’t hesitate to tell him it isn’t worth their time, in no uncertain terms.

If only he had spent his time - doing his homework.

Comments

[Kate]

I love you, Mommy. You made me feel happy and sad and everything in between while reading your blog. You made me laugh. You lead the reader into unexpected places, and to sudden revelations that would otherwise never have occured to them. I'm so curious about the words that come next; it's almost like following a scent like Scooby Doo, wondering what I'm going to run into. Keep writing, I can't wait to see what you write next.
Kate