Empty Shelves Will Soon Be Filled | Everyday is a Story - Shannon Cason's Homemade

Summary4 min read

Episode Summary: "Empty Shelves Will Soon Be Filled" | Everyday is a Story

Podcast: Shannon Cason's Homemade
Host: Shannon Cason
Date: March 19, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

In this introspective episode, Shannon Cason invites listeners into his personal world as he embarks on building shelves for his new home office. The story is not just about the physical act of DIY but reflects on themes of anticipation, preparation, self-sufficiency, and the beauty of empty spaces awaiting new stories. Shannon uses the process of constructing shelves to explore the satisfaction of hands-on work and the quiet excitement of future memories yet to be made.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Love for Home Office Spaces & Inspiration

Shannon opens by humorously comparing his love for beautifully designed home offices, which he admires on Instagram, to his appreciation for “big booties,” noting he enjoys both but finds special joy in planning his workspace.

“I love home office spaces. I look at them on Instagram. I just like home office spaces. I look at them like big booties. You might look at big booties. I look at home office spaces. Well, I look at big booties too. I’m not gonna lie.” (00:18)

The Planning and Preparation

Thoroughness is emphasized as he measures the room, sketches plans, and considers which materials are necessary for the perfect shelves.
He details his “do it right, do it yourselfer” approach, emphasizing the value in precision and preparation:

“Measure twice, cut once.” (01:10)

The Building Process

Shannon describes a tactile and meditative process:
- Buying and transporting the lumber from Home Depot
- Cutting, sanding, staining, and sealing the boards
- Allowing time for finishes to cure
He paints a picture of careful, step-by-step progress, enjoying each solitary moment in the basement.

Installation Day

After taking care of all his daily responsibilities, Shannon relishes having uninterrupted time for himself—a theme that recurs as he likens it to other satisfying solo activities:

“I love these moments to myself, like shining my shoes or fixing my bike. I love these periods...” (02:00)
He sets just the right atmosphere: podcasts, YouTube videos, and jazz records spin in the background, particularly highlighting Hank Mobley’s saxophone as his soundtrack (04:10).
Technical challenges: Moving nine-foot boards through the house, searching for wall studs, balancing boards while leveling, ensuring both technical and visual perfection.
He stresses both precision—with tools and measuring—and intuition—“see it with your eye to make sure it looks right.” (05:30)

The Completion and Reflection

The process absorbs him so completely he forgets dinner and water (07:30).
Shannon steps back, admires his work, and muses about the life these shelves will soon hold: books, photos, trinkets, cards, “obituaries and old Bibles.”
The shelves are empty, but to him, they are full of possibility. He finds beauty and anticipation in emptiness:

“But right now, but right then, I was just looking at all of it, and it was all bare. Everything was empty. It's just empty shelves. But it was beautiful to me. And I love the anticipation of creating the space that will soon be lived in.” (08:50)

Invitation to the Listener

The episode closes with a reflective prompt, inviting listeners to contemplate and share what they've built with their own hands:

“What’s something that you’ve built with your hands that you’re proud of? Let’s talk about it.” (09:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On passion and appreciation:

“I look at [home office spaces] like big booties. Well, I look at big booties too. I’m not gonna lie.” (00:18)
On craftsmanship:

“Measure twice, cut once.” (01:10)
On solitude and satisfaction:

“I love these moments to myself, like shining my shoes or, or fixing my bike. I love these periods, you know, and this is my time to put up my shelves.” (02:00)
On the process and being in flow:

“It took the entire evening, like it was past dinner time. It was past my bedtime because I go to sleep pretty early. And I had forgot to eat dinner. I had forgot to drink water. But I’m just in my thoughts and listening to the jazz albums and playing around with these wooden boards.” (07:30)
On anticipation and meaning:

“...and it was all bare. Everything was empty. It’s just empty shelves. But it was beautiful to me. And I love the anticipation of creating the space that will soon be lived in.” (08:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:00 – 01:15: Introduction, passion for home office spaces, initial planning
01:16 – 03:10: Acquiring materials, DIY philosophy
03:11 – 05:30: Building process, tools, and setup details
05:31 – 07:29: Installing the shelves, attention to detail, balancing practicality and aesthetics
07:30 – 08:49: Completion, reflection on time and focus, physical and mental satisfaction
08:50 – 09:20: Reflection on empty shelves and the anticipation of filling them
09:21 – End: Listener prompt and episode close

Tone and Style

Shannon’s delivery is authentic, warm, and lightly humorous, blending practical DIY narration with deeper self-reflection. His pacing is measured, his language contemplative, and there’s a gentle encouragement for listeners to find pride and joy in their own everyday stories.

Takeaway

This episode is more than a story about building shelves; it’s about the fulfillment found in both the hands-on process of creation and the dreams we invest in empty spaces. Shannon Cason’s storytelling reminds listeners to cherish personal labors and look forward to filling life’s empty spaces with their own stories.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
I spent the whole day building something. But it's just the beginning. Every day is a story. I'm Shannon Cason. It's Thursday. I'm building out my new home office. I love home office spaces. I look at them on Instagram. I just like home office spaces. I look at them like big booties. You might look at big booties. I look at home office spaces. Well, I look at big booties too. I'm not gonna lie. But I plan my home office space. I'm moving. I drew out the plans, what I have and what I need to get, and I measured all the walls from top to bottom. Then it was time to get the materials for the shelves. So I went to Home Depot. I bought all the boards from Home Depot, These long boards, I had them hanging out the window of my car, driving them to the house. And recently I've been a do it right, do it yourselfer. I've always been a do it yourselfer, but I'm at a point that I'm just doing everything right. So I measured all the room twice. So measure twice, cut once. And then I put out the horses, put out the boards, cut the boards, sanded the boards, stained the boards to match all the wood that was already in the room. Then I polyurethaned everything so it'll last the length of time. And it always looked good. And I took my time step by step, and I let them rest there in the basement for a few days. Yesterday was my time to install the boards. So I took care of all my errands early in the day, like the start of my day. Did all the things that I had to do for everybody else so I could have this time all to myself. Like, I love these moments to myself, like shining my shoes or, or fixing my bike. I love these periods, you know, and this is my time to put up my shelves. So I put on all my podcasts, I got my podcast ready, my YouTube videos ready, and I got the jazz records that I want to listen to, and I got to work. And I marked all the holes for the brackets in the walls and. And I looked for studs. And where I couldn't find studs, I wanted to put pre drill holes for anchor supports so the boards will stand the test of time that they won't fall over or, you know, once I fill them up with books and stuff that they won't. Won't break down. So I stood back and I looked at the first shelf that I had put up, and it looked good. The wood matched everything else in the room. It looked good. After that first shelf, I had to pull all these long boards that I had prepared out of the basement, but I couldn't, like, swivel them through the house, so I had to take them out the back door. And I had to walk around the house to the front door to get them into the back room. Some of these boards are as long as nine feet because I'm. I'm putting boards all throughout the room. And I put a bracket on one end, and I'll secure it, and then I'll rest the board on that bracket and I'll hold it in my hand on the other end, all while I'm balancing a level at the top to make sure everything is level, to make sure everything is straight. And I'll put in the other bracket. And this is all while Hank Mosley saxophone is playing in the background from the jazz vinyls. And then I put boards all around this small room. And I'm balancing one end and I'm attaching the other, and I'm standing back to see if it's straight to the eye, because it can be straight with that level, but you got to see it with your eye to make sure that it looks right. And they all look great. Then I installed the second level in the third level of shelves with the boards I had on the wall. And I'm making sure to leave room for future TVs or gallery walls that I might want to put in certain areas. And at the end of it all, it took the entire evening, like it was past dinner time. It was past my bedtime because I go to sleep pretty early. And I had forgot to eat dinner. I had forgot to drink water. But I'm just in my thoughts and listening to the jazz albums and playing around with these wooden boards. And I stood back after I installed everything, I just stood back and I looked at all the work that I had done. And these shelves would be filled with novels and nonfiction and books that I bought over the years, and books that have been passed down to me. They'll be filled with pictures of family and friends, trinkets from trips and greeting cards that I might get over the years, and birthdays and secret papers hidden in the pages of certain books and obituaries and old Bibles, because I have obituaries and old Bibles now, but there'll be more. But right now, but right then, I was just looking at all of it, and it was all bare. Everything was empty. It's just empty shells. But it was beautiful to me. And I love the anticipation of creating the space that will soon be lived in. What's something that you've built with your hands that you're proud of? Let's talk about it.