# Ever had an epiphany?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-an-epiphany/416187>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 20, 2007, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-an-epiphany/416187 "2007-08-20T00:14:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-an-epiphany/416187/61 "2007-08-24T21:31:55Z")

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I’ve had several epiphanies, the most important of which were:

1. When I was learning my multiplication tables, understanding that the bottom number represented the amount of times you added the top number to itself. The teacher didn’t explain that well - basically, she just had us learn it by rote. I learned a lot faster after I understood that.

2. When I was in a really horrible spot with a job, realizing I could leave if I wanted to without the world falling apart.

3. When my work life threatened to impinge on my family life, realizing that I could affect that instead of just rolling over and letting it happen.

4. When I realized I really didn’t want my PhD and was only going through the motions because it was what I always assumed I would do.

Pretty minor epiphanies, but worthwhile for me.

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**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-an-epiphany/416187/62 "2007-08-24T22:00:24Z")

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I said:

Here’s a small one that I feel somewhat embarassed that I didn’t get before: All furniture is a variation of a box.

[QUOTE=Captain\_C]  
Explain.  
[/QUOTE]

A couch is basically a large padded box with two sides removed, a chest of drawers is several boxes stacked together, a table is a box with only the uppermost side intact, a chair is a box with two or more sides removed for sitting, a cabinet is simply a box hung on the wall. When you simplify the shapes, it’s boxes all the way.

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