What do we mean when we talk about repair? The most commonly repaired items at home are wooden furniture and table lamps and other small lights, but many people express a level of discomfort for lack of knowledge about the skills required to repair them. However, we live in a time when many of the objects we buy come with limited lifespans(寿命) —especially technological and electrical goods.
Although some objects may require specialist aid, plenty of worn things around the home can be repaired there, if you know what you're doing. "One hundred years ago, everyone needed to repair things themselves," an expert says. "So many people had the skills, and they were passed down from generation to generation. And not only the skills, but also the tools. The tools almost became the memories of that repair and carried their own stories. "
Repair often feels pleasant because it is a moment of fixing. The holes can be filled. The gaps will be smoothed over. The language of repair has great significance in describing things: mending, fixing, restoring, rebuilding, piecing together. All are words we use for the objects around us, but also ones we apply to ourselves. We feel a little happy in the idea that few things are truly beyond salvage.
Repair is attractive for many reasons. It helps us think about how to care for the things we own. It makes us mindful of what we waste, and what we should hold on to. It reminds us to bend in closer and see the changes, the points where the needle went through the surface and pulled together something new.