The Right Space

Don't ask why (who knows how my brain works?), but the other day I was thinking about doing homework. Like I did (well, not did, exactly, so much as was supposed to do) back in school — particularly in elementary school.

I remember my best friend back then lived in a house that had a really cool breakfast bar in the kitchen. It had Formica countertops too — all even and smooth surfaces — not like the tile counters in my house. Not to mention, our house did not have a breakfast bar. I remember, the first time I saw my friend's house, I immediately thought that breakfast bar was the perfect place to do homework. I never did understand why she didn't realize what a great space she had for doing homework.

To this day, I maintain that my primary reason for not doing my homework in all the years I went to school was because I didn't have just the right space.

Turns out, I've had a touch of OCD for a very long time.

I always needed just the right space for doing homework. I needed a good desktop surface that wasn't cluttered or crowded, a chair that was just the right height, just the right lighting, and no distractions from TV, cats, or parents. I needed to be in the zone or I couldn't concentrate at all.

Unfortunately — probably more for my mom than for me — I never had such a space. Even in high school, once I really understood what it was that I needed and found a decent desk, I never had the right chair. My chairs were always a little too low. I never had the right lighting. The light was always a little too dim or too harsh. And I certainly never had a distraction-free environment! Which seems odd when you consider that I am an only child of a single-parent household ... but Mom is, shall we say, not good at leaving me alone. Much like my dog right now, who is squeaking because we aren't paying attention to him.

Eventually, of course, I grew up and discovered that — for most real-life applications anyway — homework is a totally unnecessary life experience and not doing it didn't really have any long-term negative consequences.

What did occur to me while I was thinking of how I never had just the right space for doing my homework when I was growing up, is how I grew up to end up with a career where I spend my days sitting in just the right space.

I mean, we've discussed that I really wish I could keep my desktop clearer (more clear? See? I'd probably know which is correct if I'd done more homework, huh?). But mostly, I have a nice desktop with just the right lighting and just the right chair; with all my little doo-dads and thing-a-ma-jigs that I need to do my job set up in just the right place within easy reach of me.

Of course, my mom still hangs out with me and wants to know all about what I'm doing, but I'm used to that now and my clients love her so I guess I'll keep her.

I don't know if I found just the right space, or if just the right space found me but it's a good thing we got together. I can't imagine where I would be if my space wasn't right!