Yesterday I got my order most recent order from the Mystery Lovers Bookshop. In it was a book by my friend
Mary Jane Maffini:
Death Loves a Messy Desk. If that title holds any truth, I'm doomed.
I don't know what it is, but I cannot keep my desk clear of junk. Junk that gets in the way of my getting any meaningful work done. Junk like a box of safety pins, dental flossers, rubber stamps, stickers, post-it note pads, wooden carvings (they're not junk; my Dad made those and I like looking at them), candy jar, candle and warmer, my sheep (doesn't everyone keep a couple of orphaned nativity sheep on their desks?), an egg timer (for when the cats go out on the enclosed porch in the winter--not that I pay attention and hear it. Usually they're crawling up the sliding glass doors, their kitty mouths open crying "let us in--it's COLD out here!), a couple of screwdrivers, letter openers, three coffee cups filled with pens and pencils, Purell (two bottles), furniture polish, a LOT of bookmarks, envelopes for mailing, magazines. And on and on. And I've got another computer "desk" (well, farm table, actually) in the same condition. (P.S. The rest of the house does NOT look like this. Honest.)
When I want a clear flat surface to work on, I either go into my husband's office next door or seek out the dining room table.
I keep saying I'm going to do something about it, but the truth is, I have nowhere to put all this stuff. My closet is full of stuff. Vital stuff. Like boxes of books, envelopes, padded envelopes, office supplies and an entire shelf just filled with notebooks of my manuscripts, so there's no room to store any of this stuff there. I'd love to annex Mr. Lorna's office, but I don't think that would go over very well.
The time has come to be ruthless and just start tossing stuff.
Fortunately for me, I'm heading back to the cottage to work on the book. I'll close the door so Mr. Lorna doesn't have to look at my office while I'm gone (apparently, it gives him the heebie jeebies) and face it when I come back in a few days.
Maybe.
Is there some place in your home you just can't face cleaning?
so, what do you need the safety pins for?
ReplyDeleteI can't face cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen. You just can't clean the surface, you have to clean around things as well.
What do I need those safety pins for? Good question. Now, let me think on it for a while. . .
ReplyDeleteI feel better. Why is it comforting to know someone else shares my bad habits? Or maybe this is normal and it's those people with the clean desks that are a bit off.
ReplyDeleteI'm telling myself that Linda is correct, because my desk is pretty awful. My husband built my desk from wood the two of us cut on our woodlot in Maine, hauled out of the woods, took to the sawmill, and toted home. It's huge, and therefore holds much more clutter, and I'll never part with it. If Mr. Lorna gets the heebie-jeebies, that's what the door is for. :D
ReplyDeleteWhy oh Why does it make me feel better to look at other's mess??? LOL...I have the hardest time corralling the mess on my desk and the kitchen table...but when I finally do it I feel so accomplished...then realize that so many other people do that by force of habit. Hmmmm time for Dr. Phil...me thinks :-) thanks for sharing!!
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