That Last Minute Push
Okay, so let me tell you what went down last night, right up to the wire, 11:59 pm on the dot, practically.
It wasn’t anything massive, you know? No big project, no life-changing event. It was just this small, nagging thing. I’ve got this old bookshelf in the corner of my living room. Solid wood, been with me for years. But one of the shelves started sagging a bit in the middle. Been like that for, I don’t know, weeks? Maybe months? Every time I walked past it, I’d see it. That little dip. Drove me nuts.
Yesterday was just a regular day. Did my work, had dinner, watched some TV. But that shelf, it was just… there. Staring at me. Mocking me, almost. Around 10 pm, I thought, “Nah, too late.” But then, sitting there, I couldn’t let it go.
So, I got up. Went to the garage, rummaged around for my tools. Found a small level, a drill, and some screws. Brought them inside. The first step was taking all the books off that shelf. Man, I forgot how many books I crammed onto it. Stacked them all up on the floor. Dust everywhere, of course.
Finding the real problem took a minute. I thought maybe the little pegs holding the shelf up were slipping. Nope. Turns out, the shelf itself, the wood plank, had a slight warp. And the back support bracket felt a little loose.
Okay, plan B. I decided to add a small L-bracket underneath, right in the middle, screwed into the back panel of the bookshelf for extra support. Simple enough, right?
- First, I measured to find the center point under the shelf.
- Then I held the bracket in place, marked the holes with a pencil.
- Got the drill, made some small pilot holes. Didn’t want to split the wood.
- Lined up the bracket again. Started putting the screws in.
One screw went in easy. The second one… well, it was awkward. Had to kind of angle the drill funny to get it in straight against the back panel. Took longer than I thought. My back started complaining a bit, kneeling there on the floor.
Finally got the bracket secured. Put the shelf back on its pegs, resting slightly on the new bracket. Used the level. Bingo. Perfectly straight. Felt pretty good about that.
Then came putting the books back. Decided to sort them a bit while I was at it. That took another chunk of time. One book after another.
By the time I put the last book back and stood up, I glanced at the clock. 11:59 pm. Seriously. One minute to midnight.
Didn’t plan it that way. It just happened. Stood there for a second, looking at the straight shelf. No more sag. It’s funny, the small things that can bug you, and the satisfaction you get from finally fixing them, even if it’s ridiculously late. Didn’t change the world, but hey, my bookshelf is straight. And I could finally go to bed without that little annoyance rattling around in my head.
