Things I Learned From a Floor Sander

Home ownership, I am learning, is a test of staying power. I bought a fixer-upper mainly because it was "cute" and I thought I needed something to do with my time. Wanting to finish some major projects before I moved in, I decided to refinish my bedroom wood floor. Arriving at our local rental center, the following conversation ensued:
Rental Center Guy: Have you ever sanded a floor before?
Me: No.
Rental Center Guy: Me neither.
After a tutorial of what the rental center guy "thought" I should be doing with the floor sander, I soon stood in the middle of my bedroom floor, ready to sand away. One squeeze of the handle and the sander flew into the wall. I flew into the adjoining wall. Lesson number one: sometimes you have to dig your heels in and stand your ground. I'm not saying to be irrationally stubborn, but some things take a little brute force sometimes.
After a day of sanding, the edges of the room still needed to be sanded down. Thinking this would be no problem, I bought a little hand sander, and after an hour, I had finished a 6 inch square section of floor. Lesson number two: take big things a little at a time. As I gazed upon the amount of floor still left, tears often glistened in my eyes. Often I wished I had just hired someone to do this. It would have been easier.
One miraculous day, however, it was time to finish my newly sanded floor. See the finished product for yourself, and I think you will agree with lesson number three: sometimes, in the end, it is worth the effort.

Old, boring floor.

Ah, look at that baby shine.

I just have to say one thing after creaking around with bruised knees a permanent bow to my back for 3 weeks. . . . I ain't 22 anymore.