My New Office Space; Sort Of

Overlapping work spaces support neither productivity nor my creative juices. So I made some changes.

For the longest time I had wanted to move our desk top computer with associated desk from what has grown to be our prayer room. So I finally got to it.

I took a utilitarian space that is used for multiple daily tasks, the small kitchen in our upper unit (we have not had tenants, or even fiveants in our duplex for some twenty year). The upper unit is our personal space and the lower unit is where we cook, eat, entertain and do business; our public space.

So I created two computer stations in this upper unit kitchen space, one for the desk top and another at a small table for my lap top on which I do my writing. Left plenty of room for my wife’s ironing board and plenty of space in front of the sink which we use regularly.

My drafting table is clear, covered only in trace paper. I have been doing a bit of design regularly over the months and it has kept me from writing as the repurposing of a space back and forth I find tedious. Honestly, I find it somehow disturbing.

So, upstairs, a bit close but comfortable.

Now the writing is taking off. I set a plan for my blogs, resolved to stick to the schedule, giving each blog a monthly or quarterly goal. And then…

So my wife has a lap top on which see does work for our church. Every couple of weeks she spends an afternoon working on the lap top. Once in a while she goes to church and spends most of the day working her work.

So… there she is, my wife, set up at my new writing station working her work, my lap top pushed aside into obscurity. I am elated that she is enjoying the space. Particularly in the Winter since it is uncomfortably cold, drafty, downstairs at the kitchen table. And I have plenty of other tasks I need to do, far too many in fact, so I happily go about my way.

The next day, there she is again. No problem, she doesn’t have a whole lot to do. I am certain she won’t be long. I hold back on my excited anticipation to get back to my writing in full vigor.

Then the next day; there she is.

“Do you like this space?” I ask.

“Yes, it is so warm.” she smiles delighted.

I’m still happy. I even have both our printers in the same space, everything we need consolidated. She really likes that. She needs a printer.

Then the next day.

Then the next day.

I wake up late on Saturday, after working the night before, anxious to get on my lap top to write and take care of neglected business.

There she is working away.

I stare in disbelief.

“What are you doing?” I plead.

“What??”

“You never have this much work to do. You only work on your lap top maybe every two weeks! What are you doing?” I am pleading, almost crying because I know she really likes this space and I am upsetting her, but I created the space for ME!

“I made this space to write.”

So we are watch the TV show “Monk”: “Mr. Monk and the Airplane.”

The dialogue goes something like this.

Wine is spilled on Mr. Monk and he jumps back and says to his assistant, “Hurry, it’s going to stain.”

His assistant responds, “Here is your stain remover.” handing the applicator to him.

He stares at the applicator stunned and asks, “Can you do it?”

To which the assistant scoffs, “Why can’t you do it?”

“Because if you do it, then I don’t have to.”

I laugh and ask my wife, “Does that remind you of anyone?”

“Yes, you.” she answers and we both laugh.

You single guys don’t know what your missing.

So look for my blog posts, at least three a month amongst my various blogs, hopefully not all on the final day of the month.

I consolidated my Create Space account with my KDP account. Shooting for four books published this year.

Thank you for reading.