#92 Weekend Assignment: New Year's Resolution

John's Weekend Assignment #92 Do you Have New Year's Resolutions for 2006? If so, share one (or more, if you like).

Extra Credit: How did you do on your resolutions for 2005?

( I borrowed the graphic from John's journal to emphasize that this is his task, not mine. It is way too late for me to be thinking of these things on my own!)

At first I thought I didn't have a New Years resolution. In the past, I always resolved to lose weight, to exercise more, eat better, and so on. After twenty-five years of making these statements to myself, I have only succeeded in gaining 1 1/2 pounds a year, exercising less, but I am eating better. This because we can buy better and more varied food than when we first got married. This because each year our income increases somewhat and our expenses have decreased. This because our child is grown up and living on his own now. This because we sent him to college for four years, and now he's working his way through the next four years.

But as I look around this room I'm sitting in, the room that has always been referred to as the spare bedroom because once there was a bed in it, in the event that someone might need a place to sleep if they ever came to visit, which seldom happened in the 25 years we have lived here, I notice that I am changing it ever so gradually into an office of sorts. (I dedicate that sentence to Patrick O'Brien, master of long sentences!)

The computer has been in this room ever since Steven began high school, if I'm remembering correctly. The bed has since been removed and replaced by a couch, and I had the walls covered in National Geographic maps instead of wall paper for a few years. Then, to preserve the maps, I took them down and put them away one day, and we bought a computer desk and a swivel chair for the room. A few years ago, we gave the couch to our son for his new apartment, and put a roll-top desk in its place, and I bought two six foot book shelves to hold all my books. Well, some of my books.

I do school work at the computer, but there isn't much room to open text books, the planning book, a calendar, and other reference materials while I'm putting my lessons together. The dining room table is perfect to do all the work on, but it is in the dining room. My arms don't stretch that far, and I can't see that far away either.

So, when Steve asked me what did I want for Christmas last week, I told him I needed a table or a desk that would fit right up next to the computer. I described my perfect work space, a long five or six foot narrow table that would create an L-shaped work area around my computer. Just like my sister-in-law Debbie has at her house. He surprised me that night by saying, "I have just the table for you in my shop."

That very night, after we got home from the teachers' Christmas party, he disappeared into the darkness of our backyard, and came back ten minutes later carrying the table. It WAS perfect! Dusty, but perfect.

He placed it exactly where I wanted it to set, and I wiped it down good. By the next day, I had claimed the table and filled its space with all the necessary accoutrements: pencils, paper clip holder, printer, rubber cement jar, pencil sharpener, table lamp, daily calendar, dictionary, and a cup of tea.

That left me with about an 18" by 24" free work space.

A little bit more than I had before he brought in the table. Still, not enough to work on, and I can't get rid of all my desk things. I need them to write and plan. And it looks like an office desk.

So, today I said, "I really need another table or desk that comes across the back. Then I will have enough work space to do my school work." He said, "I think I have another table top down in the garage. I can probably make you one." Tomorrow, we will check it out.

I want this room to be my classroom away from the classroom. Well, minus the kids.

I want to be able to plan here, have the space to spread out my books, my papers, whatever, and not have to clean it all up so we can eat dinner. I want to read in this room, study in this room, listen to my favorite music while I work. My books will be within reach and the computer is here, and all the writing, drawing, supplies will be within easy reach. This will be my work space. I spend a lot of time in here anyway, might as well make it work for me.

The laundry basket is in here, and this is where the dogs' beds are, so I'll be sharing it with them.

There you have it, in a nutshell, my New Year's Resolution: to get more organized.

Oh, yes, and brevity over verbosity.