The Omni

The room just off the kitchen at the front of the house is bordered with bookshelves, as are most rooms in our house. This particular room is packed with a mixture of science fiction, foreign languages, poetry and plays, almanacs, contemporary fiction, and my book, soon to be plural. The shelves also house friend and family photographs both framed and in albums, and bric-a-brac from my life: postcard size paintings, plaques with encouraging words like Life Is too Short To Be Anything But Happy, framed cards from my husband, and items from my career like a pottery jar claiming to be ashes of former employees. The walls are covered with paintings and prints and special photographs. There is an old dining room table, a glider rocker, and my desk. When we first moved in I called this room the Library. I envisioned jigsaw puzzles in progress on the table and cards or board games being played there.

Since my retirement from my first career this room has morphed into much more. This is where I write. Sitting in the glider on a legal pad with a supply of well sharpened pencils and at my desk on the computer. It is a pleasant place to breathe life into my characters and devise ways to rescue them from the peril of my making.

If I hit a snag in the plot, I can retreat to one end of the table where my spinning wheel patiently waits. I open the shutters and look out on the yard cul de sac. Then I’m ready to immerse myself in the peaceful process of spinning the exquisite fiber stashed in tubs under one end of the table into soft, colorful yarn. I keep paper and pencil on the table so when the plot overcomes its snag I can make notes. It’s funny how getting the creative juices flowing in one part of my brain seems to leak over into other creations.

I use my small loom sitting in the glider where I weave table runners and scarves from the yarn I’ve spun. I have tubs of spun yarn waiting to be used on my loom or knitting needles or crochet hooks.

I do most of my creating in this room. Wait…I can hear my husband clearing his throat although he’s several rooms away. He must be thinking of the guest room where I carry my loom to set it up since there’s not enough space to stretch out the warp threads in this room. Or maybe he’s wondering about the bathroom behind his study where I have drawers of sock yarn and tubs of purchased yarn. It’s also where I soak and dry the spun yarn and woven scarves. Or maybe he’s looking in the den around my recliner where I have multiple projects in progress–socks being knitted, afghans created, baby things–all around. He affectionately, at least I think it’s sweetly intended, refers to that area as my “nest”. Or maybe he’s referring to the huge table I use in the basement to paint and construct the model railroad buildings. And where more tubs of yarn and crafting materials live in carefully sorted and labeled plastic tubs on shelves. Okay. I did say most of my creating was in this room, not all.

To the untrained eye, the room may seem cluttered and possibly disorganized, but to me it thrums with happiness and creativity. The title Library is a woefully inadequate description now. So we call it The Omni.

May you find a spot that brings you happiness and encourages your most creative self to act. And may you find the time to retreat there regularly! Enjoy!