My new writing desk.
Things feel better this morning.
I spent several hours last night rearranging my living room and guest room. Bags of trash left the house. Boxes of random items are headed to Goodwill.
Ahhh...
My friend C pointed out to me that I get overwhelmed and suffocated by too much stuff.
That rang so true to me. I look at all the junk lying around my house, and I think, "I'll never get this place in shape."
But the fact is, when there are only a few items to keep in place, it feels very manageable.
Also, I made a list yesterday of everything I want out of life. It wasn't a materialistic list (like what kind of house I want, etc.). It was more, "This is the kind of life that I want."
I'll post it on here later.
The thing that was great about that list was that it allowed me to set my priorities. There are certain things - like excelling at work, or having nice things - that simply didn't make the cut.
And that made me realize (as C said), excelling at work gets me more money, which allows me to live the life I want outside of work.
My identity is not wrapped up in my job. My life is not defined by my job. My life is simply supplemented - paid for - by my job.
So I'm determined to expend minimal emotional energy at the office, and maximum energy on my family and home.
One thing that was on my list was to write. It seems so simple. But the fact is that, when the laundry needs to be put away, or the dishes are piling up, or the dog has torn apart yet another stuffed animal... it's hard to find motivation or creativity to write.
So, I decided that when I rearranged my living room, I would carve out a little space for me.
I set my writing desk right in front of my big living room window, overlooking the street where I live. That way, when I am trying to write, I'm not looking at the chaos that is often my living room. Rather, I am looking at the grass, and the trees, and the sun, and the buzz of a suburban neighborhood.
That makes me happy.
Already this morning, I feel inspired and refreshed. The sun is in my face, the mess is at my back. It's got to be good feng shui, right?
Anyways. It's almost 7am, and I still have to finish cleaning up from my rearrangement project last night.
Peace out.