Bidding for something you really (reeeeeeally) want on eBay is not for the faint hearted, is it?

15 seconds, hold your nerve. 12 seconds; breeeeathe. 10 secon...Painc! Arrgh! Bid bid bid!

For 7 months I've frequently scoured eBay for a white Expedit 5x5 bookshelf. Much to the chagrin of many thousands, IKEA don't make them anymore. There's not a shortage of these bookshelves selling on eBay, just never in the area in which I live.

Then, finally, it happened. Somewhere in Meresyside, a white 5x5 Expedit was awaiting a buyer. My mistake, of course, was that I failed to hold my nerve.

Who cries over losing a bid for a bookshelf? Erm (Suzy sheepishly raises her hand), me, I do.

Hey, I'm not a materialistic girl but I do know what I love, plus, 7 months of having my books and 'stuff', piled up all over the floor is not good for one's soul.

I immediately emailed the seller and expressed my abject disappointment. As soon as I'd done so, I felt a bit silly: why ever would she be bothered?

A few days passed and I received an email from said seller saying that the buyer had failed to show and so would I like first refusal? The bookshelves were mine. Mine!

Oh what joy I've had in "dressing" those shelves. I feel that many pieces of the Suzy Soul are contained in those pigeon holes: many of the books I've read and loved, precious letters tied up in ribbon, favourite tea cups, art equipment, journals,...It feels like art within a bookcase because I could stand and stare at it all for hours. Take a look at my photo on the Moodscope blog page: http://bit.ly/1Sk1SPh

Art in our home is important. Art in our home needn't be an original Monet for it to be Real Art with a capital 'A'. Art in our home needn't be expensive or conventional but please, by all means, let it reflect the essence of who we really are.

So when the anxiety strikes and the depression fells we'll not only have something beautiful/whimsical/quirky to gaze upon, but it will also serve as a prodding to remind us of who we really and truly are at our core.

Suzy

A Moodscope member.