M. Suzanne Terry

I’m just going to give up counting the weeks.  The number doesn’t matter; the plan does.  So here we go.

This week is Create – tackling the writing nook.  It’s called the writing nook, but its function goes beyond writing.  It’s where I read. It’s where I organize and coordinate the schedules of my life. It’s where I store my sewing machine (although I really don’t like it there, so that might change soon). As areas of the apartment go, this is the one that gets the most attention, because 1) it’s where I spend most of my time and 2) it’s where I work, so it has to stay functional and organized.  Because sanity. In fact, technically, I’ve already started on this area, because fixing one thing in the living room snowballed into rearranging all the bookshelves in the room, most of which are in the writing nook.

When I sit down at my desk, this is the reminder that greets me:

Equally important reminders, but let’s focus on the larger one.

I have only seen this quote in these exact words on Pinterest and in Aiki Finthart’s The Yu Dragon, which apparently you can get for free on Amazon today, but the sentiment is most often attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche (although here’s a fun investigation into its actual origins, if you’re interested). At any rate, it is important for me to remember that while what I’m creating might not have an immediate, obvious product, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile or that it’s not beautiful.  It is important for me to remember that despite input from ambitious, results-oriented friends (which is not a bad way to be…generally speaking), my life and goals don’t have to look like theirs in order to be fulfilling.  Maybe this is taking some liberties with this quote, but that’s the reminder it gives me lately.

It also reminds me to keep dancing, both figuratively and literally.

This week is not just about cleaning and organizing.  This week is about honoring what the space is meant for – creating.

This week’s plan is:

• Get back into the habit of a 15-minute free write every morning.  I used to do this regularly, and not only was I more alert and less harried by the time I got to work, I also got more writing done than I do now. And it just so happens that a 15-minute daily free write is my assignment in Story 101 this week.  Bonus!
• Finish reorganizing bookshelves. The end is in sight.  It’s very exciting. I might actually have room to grow (which is both dangerous and fantastic information).
• Figure out what to do with the luxurious, newly empty space on my desk, now that I’ve moved the smaller reading lamp (which I never used in this space, as I have a large one right behind the chair) to the bedroom.  It seems like that would be the perfect spot for all the different journals I am using, but we’ll see.
• File/shred all the papers from the end of the spring semester.
• Speaking of filing…figure out something there.  I want to have a space in the file for fabric, but first I have to deal with the utter chaos that currently lurks behind those opaque, closed drawers.
• Work on my cork board. I am trying to cover the back of my kitchen armoire with wine corks. At first, I was overwhelmed by how many corks that would take, but as it turns out, my friends and I drink tons of wine, so it should be completely covered by the end of the year. My short-term goal is to use all the corks I have by the time I have my July 4/sorta-mid-project party.

I hope your week is full of creative fun as well!