Jamie Broker

I’m one of those people who Cannot Sit Like a Normal Person for more than about a minute, sometimes even less. I’m pretty sure it’s the undiagnosed ADHD, but any chair that holds me should expect to find me shifting, leaning, lounging, slumping, turning sideways, or working through any number of Undignified and Childish Postures. The older I get, the more I’m all right with this. Whoever said movement was a moral failing needed several new hobbies, including Minding Their Own Business.

This restlessness extends beyond how I sit into where I sit, and on what. I see lots of folks talking about creating special spaces in their homes — spaces specifically set aside for meditation, prayer, exercise, journaling, etc. I don’t have one of those, and I wonder what it would be like to have one. Spouse and I have a dedicated “office” room in our house, and I have a desk there, but I don’t often use it when I’m writing. I tend to gravitate towards three places: the easy chair in our living room, the kitchen table, and the local coffee shop.

The nice thing about all three of these places is that they can be as temporary as they need to be. Two days ago, I was having THE WORST time getting anywhere whilst sitting in the easy chair. Move to kitchen, BOOM — a few thousand words in a couple of days. Kitchen chair stalls out, move to coffee shop, BOOM — plot climbs a mountain, slides down the other side, and takes off running. The coffee shop is closing soon? No worries, back home and let’s go again. It’s surprisingly effective.

It makes me wonder about how other people “feel” their spaces, especially if they are “one dedicated space” types of folks. Does the dedicated space create a foundation on which the writer can feel steady and safe? Is it like moving into a mental monastery, where the calm allows the words to flow freely? I don’t have these feelings or experiences, so I wonder what they’re like. People’s brains and experiences are fascinating, which I guess is one reason why I write — to explore experiences. So as I sit in the coffee shop fifteen minutes from closing, I hope you have a Throne of Inspiration (or find it soon if you don’t), whether it’s one place or a dozen, and I hope the words come easy this week.

Peace!