The Unexpected Romance of Lego Sets
During the Valentine’s Day–themed episode of ABC’s Abbott Elementary, Gregory items his girlfriend, Amber, a Lego flower bouquet as a result of she’s allergic to actual flowers. A romantic gesture gone improper, Amber unenthusiastically asks whether or not the reward is for her or her youngsters. Simultaneously, Gregory’s coworker, Janine, receives a Telfar purse from her boyfriend, Maurice. When Janine errors it for a purchasing bag, Maurice explains that the purse is the reward—a designer one. On the way in which out of college, Amber jealously eyes the Telfar bag, and Janine the Lego set.
Prior to assembly my boyfriend, I might’ve sided with Amber on this situation. I’d written Lego blocks off a very long time in the past. As a child, I most well-liked Barbie dolls and Play-Doh. As a babysitting teenager, I noticed the blocks as a hazard. When I wasn’t dodging them in a playroom like a real-life model of Floor Is Lava, I used to be gently extracting them from a toddler’s little palms earlier than a bite-size piece made its manner into their throat. I might’ve by no means thought-about it a enjoyable pastime, not to mention a romantic reward concept.
But as an grownup, I stand corrected. What began as a random journey to the Lego retailer with my associate a pair of years in the past ended with a newfound love and appreciation for these tiny colourful blocks. More importantly, it is change into a enjoyable and distinctive manner for us to bond. Suddenly, I too was enviously eyeing the Lego flower bouquet on my TV and dropping refined hints to my boyfriend.
Organized Chaos
When my boyfriend first prompt we try the Lego Store on a wet Sunday afternoon, I figured it would be a pleasant break from being holed up in my condo all weekend. We walked into the shop, browsed the partitions lined with Lego units, and walked out with the New York City Architecture Set. Once we bought again to my condo, I used to be keen to begin constructing, however I’d be mendacity if I stated I wasn’t barely nervous.
As somebody with each ADHD and a horrible case of perfectionism, I wrestle to take pleasure in and decide to inventive hobbies. Over the years, I’ve collected coloring books, containers of crayons, knitting needles, and paintbrushes, all of which stay untouched. Whenever I try and ease my mind with some arts and crafts, I’m so overwhelmed by the stress to ensure it comes out properly that I find yourself abandoning the undertaking altogether.
But since constructing Lego units was an exercise my boyfriend had wished to strive collectively for some time, I wished to offer it a shot. We unboxed the set, organized every pack of bricks chronologically, opened the instruction guide, and bought began—matching every bit to the diagram on the web page and following the steps. A couple of hours later, we clicked the final brick into place and stared proudly at our new creation.
As we started to throw out completely different concepts on the place we’d place it, I felt like I’d snapped out of a trance state. For the primary time shortly, I managed to calm the anxious ideas in my mind and deal with what was in entrance of me with out taking a number of breaks or saving it for later (figuring out I’d by no means truly get again to it). “This is how people must feel after they meditate,” I stated to him. “I told you so,” he quipped. I wished to march proper again into the Lego Store and purchase one other set.
