I don’t ease into Mondays, I dive into them! Mondays are my very busy water-connected days. I do laundry, I wipe down all the outdoor surfaces with water-soaked microfiber cloths and I wash my thick, long, curly hair! I have made this a conscious effort for as long as I can remember (at least 30 years) because I like my weekends to be completely free of those kinds of chores.
As a homemaker who learned all about housekeeping as a child, I take pride in my “job”. However, at age 65, I have come to the conclusion that it is okay to actually take a break from the all-consuming work that keeping a home in the way one wants to (ready for a profile in Town&Country magazine!) takes up. I want to employ that time working on my writing skills. I can only do that by making sure that the one place I need to be welcoming and free of clutter is: my office.
My office has been a source of shame, I admit it, for the last 7 years. That is when my daughter went off to college. We had used what is now my office as our classroom for the decade my children homeschooled. When they were both in college, I thought it would be a perfect time to convert it to my office. The problem is that I began to “dump” things there that I didn’t make time to unclutter. As a result, my office is now full of things that do and don’t belong there. I had also fantasized about making part of my office a craft space, so naturally I have office things, and craft things…and things that have nothing to do with either. I would take a picture to show you but I am too ashamed.
I have been looking at pictures of welcoming, lovely office/craft-room combinations. My goal is to have one before the end of 2021. The Covid-19 restrictions have provided me with 14 months of opportunity that I have not taken advantage of. I hope the 2021 will not be as generous with that time but I promise today to begin the slow work of getting rid of the clutter rather than changing its location. Not an easy job at all.
The one thing I am really happy about is that all during this “transition” my faithful companion has kept her place at my feet wherever it is I am. If I am writing in the great room, she is there…and when I am in my soon to be lovely office, she is there too. Pets are so comforting, I don’t know if she can sense how much I appreciate her but I hope she does.
adogslifeitis 