Workspace

I have worked from home for years. Sometimes my desk has been in a corner of my bedroom, and sometimes I have had an actual office with a door. Since I switched from a PC to a laptop a few years ago my "office" has been where ever I can sit with my computer - the kitchen table, my bed or the floor of an airport - anywhere with an outlet nearby.

For the last year the kitchen table has been my primary office. I have been happy to be home, and not wasting hours of my life sitting in traffic. I love being in the heart of our home where I can multi-task and interact with my family. My days go something like this - 5:30am alarm goes off, make sure both kids are up, fire up the laptop and check email while I start a load of laundry. 6:00am, drive them to seminary, come home, move laundry around, check my "to do" list for the day, find something to eat, and start a load of dishes...

I am able to bounce back and forth between business tasks and home tasks all day long. It is precisely the life I choose. The following is not a complaint, or whining, just a simple fact.

Working at the kitchen table comes with certain drawbacks, and even a few risks. Either I pack it all up multiple times a day or my laptop and work papers are present during meal time. Neither is great. I don't like to put away a project until it is complete. I like to end each day with a clean desk, which means, completed work. While not always possible, it is what my brain prefers. So, my laptop and stacks of papers have joined us for many a meal.

Definitely not relaxing to have work staring me in the face while I ate. Definitely not sending the message to my family that I am focused on them with my work staring them in the face during family time. Certainly not a safe place for papers and electronics.

A few weeks ago as my computer narrowly escaped a spilled drink, I stated working on a plan to carve out some dedicated workspace. I had been having a hard time focusing on my work and thought maybe it was time for a real desk again.

After eliminating some clutter, and annoying Ryker and Carl with excessive furniture rearranging, I freed up a few square feet of space for a desk. It needed to be just the right desk. I didn't want my back to the door, or to the window. I like looking out the window while I work. Amazingly I found exactly what I wanted on Craigslist - for $25!!.

I asked the kids what they thought of how I had rearranged the house. They both said it feels more homey. Interesting how the addition of a work desk to the corner of the dining area has made our house feel more homey to them. I think it is because the family space is no longer invaded by my work. The kitchen table is now for eating, and doing other family things. My office supplies and other work items are put away, and it feels better. I like it.

Just Plain Odd

It's Sunday evening, dinner is done, kids are in bed, and here I sit in the cool, quiet solitude of my dinning room.  I can hear the waves of the ocean and smell the coming rain.  There is nothing much going on at the moment, and that is nice.  It is very, very unusual.  I am not quite sure what to do with myself.  I am just tired enough that if I were to read I am sure I would be asleep in about 5 minutes.  I could do as my mother would, and putter around the house tidying things up.  I do have a basket of clothes left to fold, but it's nothing urgent.

Do you have any idea how odd that is?  That I don't have anything that I perceive as urgent to do?  I am sure that there are moments all the time without any urgent demands on my time, but I have my own agenda, and I ALWAYS perceive something or another is urgent.  

I have gone through my nightly ritual of making my "to do" list for the next day.  Plenty of junk to do tomorrow.  Some might even be urgent.  The way my brain works, it is best to make my lists at night.  Once I get it all out on paper, or in my computer, I can let it go and rest.  If it is all still bouncing around in my head it is difficult for me to relax.

Do you ever notice that sometimes your shoulders are tense and elevated, like they are protecting your ears? A long time ago someone told me to put my shoulders down and relax.    I think it was a chiropractor.  I must tell myself that 20 times a day.  It's a good first step to relaxing the rest of your body.  They are down where they are supposed to be right now without any self reminder.  Just plain odd.

The Beach in a Bottle?

The beach has a magical effect on my body. It's like a trip to the best spa in the world to me. I leave the beach feeling pampered and beautiful. I am not sure if observers would agree with my assessment, but the beach makes me glow inside and out. I am so lucky to live where I do right now. I need to go to the beach more often. We went on Saturday and I still feel great!

I love "beach feet" The sand buffs my nails so they shine, and does something magical to all those rough dry spots. I love to walk on the sand - both hot and dry, and cool and wet. The feeling of sand between my toes is sensory pleasure on the most basic level.

The beach is a perfect place for sleeping. Mattresses should be made out of sand. It doesn't take much to arrange the sand under a towel for a perfectly contoured fit. Between the comfort of the sand mattress and the sound of the waves crashing, a nap is inevitable. The sun is warm, but the breeze is cool. It is perfect.

I don't know exactly what it is, but my hair is great at the beach. All the natural waves and curls are released, but the frizzy fuzz is nowhere to be seen. I think it might be the combination of the salt water and the constant breeze. It's like having my hair slowly blown dry on cool - the ultimate diffuser! I am seriously considering making a spray bottle of sea water to spray my hair with, just to see if I can get that effect at home. I always hate to take a shower after a trip to the beach and ruin that fabulous natural do.

I think the very best beauty secret of the beach is what it does for my skin. My skin is so soft for hours after the beach. No lotion or potion on the market can even come close. It is baby butt perfect - soft, silky, and smooth. The sand must exfoliate and the salt water hydrate. The little bit of color from the sun only adds to the effect. I am lucky that I don't burn easily. I love the feel of the sun on my skin. If only I could buy a skin treatment that even promises to deliver those kind of results.

Swimming in the waves is so relaxing. It is like a gentle massage. All the tension seems to float away, each wave taking it further and further from me.

The beach is truly magical, and better than any spa. If I could capture that magic in a bottle, I'd send you some.

Time keeps on ticking .....

Time doesn't seem to fit precisely right. It's like wearing someone else's shoes, or a shirt that was sewn a little skewed in the seams. Time is an arbitrary, mortal construct, forced over the head and shoulders of infinite, immortal beings. We need some way of measuring, but it isn't our natural state. Our minds play tricks with it sometimes, and are the precise masters of it at others.

Have you ever had the experience of waking up 1 minute before your alarm goes off? I went for years without ever setting an external alarm. I would look at the clock before bed, tell myself what time I needed to wake up, and then like magic I would! I never over slept, not once! The internal clock is perfection!

Marking the passage of time is an odd thing. It is especially odd here in Hawaii. Everyday is pretty much the same, like Ground Hog Day. It could be yesterday, or 6 months ago, it looks like the same dang day. It would be an 85 degree and sunny day, but the same as any other, none the less. There is no external sensory input to help you place an event on a reliable time table in your memory. Here in Hawaii the stage setting and back drop are pretty much identical from day to day. You can't say, "Oh yes, I remember, that happened some time in spring, before the snow melted, so it was early spring, March I think." It just doesn't work. The last three years are a blur. Lots of memories, but it would be hard to tell you what happened when, or even what happened before what.

As of sometime this morning, it has been 40 years since I arrived here on the earth's surface. I know that the BIG 4 O is supposed to be a milestone of sorts, but I pretty much feel the same. It would have been a great excuse to do something extraordinary. I had several good ideas, but I didn't do any of them. It was pretty much a day like any other. I worked some, played some, spent time with family and friends. It was a nice slice of what my life has become, and I like that.

The Sound of Music

If you were to ask me if I have seen "The Sound of Music" I would say, "of course"! I could even sing you a song or two. It's one of those essentials to being a well cultured American.

Well, last night I sat down with Quincie to watch it. We soon discovered that neither of us had ever actual watched the entire movie, start to finish, in one sitting. We had seen most parts, many times, but never the film in it's entirety. Pathetic! So, we settled in with popcorn and soda to watch.

I now know WHY I never saw the entire movie in one shot. It's L O N G! Oh my gosh! We started around 7pm and didn't finish until after 11pm. Granted, we paused it to go take care of Jordyn's kitties, but still!