My Spot

To answer the question I've been asked a gazillion times this week because I haven't been posting ... yes, I'm still alive and my lack of writing isn't because I had the surgery on my finger. That's happening April 30, and I'm not sure what I'll do should I not be able to type for a while ... maybe I'll try to write ahead (probably not happening), maybe I'll beg for guest bloggers (pretty please with sugar-free jello and Cool Whip on top) or maybe I'll repost my top 10 (or 20 if my hand hurts a lot) posts from over the years. As to why I haven't written this week ... I'll just say it's been a cruddy week and leave it at that.

During the eleven and a half years I've worked at SHS, I've probably moved from one desk to another at least a dozen times. Some of those moves were in our previous building, but most of them have taken place in the building we are in currently. Some of the spots where I was asked to sit were wonderful, while some were ... well ... less than conducive for me to be able to maintain the level of concentration required to be accurate in my editing. Most editors will quickly agree that the two most important things that are necessary to good performance are light and quiet. It's difficult to edit technical documents with super small legal copy if the place where you sit doesn't have any natural lighting, and it's even harder to edit to the best of your ability if your desk happens to be in a noisy area. Yep, I've had some SHS workplace homes that were not so great, and I've had some that were pretty cool.

It was a little more than a year ago when I moved into the space I now occupy ... a space that's rather unique in that it's not attached to another work station. Most of the cubicles are in pods, meaning the desks within each grouping share walls with the other desks in the same pod. While I can turn around in my chair and interact with the folks who sit near me, my work station isn't connected to theirs. There's a large window to the right of my desk ... a window that not only provides the perfect amount of light for me as I edit but also enables my three very special plants that sit atop the bookcases directly beneath it to thrive. It's pretty quiet where I sit, too ... quiet enough that I have no trouble concentrating when I'm reading about cow stomachs and horse poop.

But there's something else about where I sit at work ... something extra special that has absolutely nothing at all to do with editing and everything in the universe to do with my heart. Even on my worst days ... the dark days or the lonely days or the sad days ... the days when everything in me wants to give up ... the days when I feel so unworthy or so ashamed ... even on those really tough days, there's something extra special about my little spot ... something calming, something soothing, something truly remarkable as it wraps me in a blanket of peacefulness.

Before I left the office today, I did what I do every day ... I checked to make sure I wasn't leaving anything behind and that the fan below and the lights above my desk were off. And then I did what I do every Friday ... I stood and read a bunch of the quotes that are pinned to my quote post next to my desk. Several new quotes were attached to the post this week ... some that people told me they were adding, and some that were attached to the post unbeknownst to me. I read quotes about bravery and courage, quotes about strength and determination, quotes about loyalty and friendship, quotes about patience and endurance. I glanced at the framed, signed note cards that hang on the wall, and I whispered a prayer of gratitude for the people who are being helped by the messages contained upon those cards. And as I slipped my arms into the straps of my backpack and got ready to leave, I said aloud, "Take care of yourself, spot ... see you on Monday ... thanks for always being here for me."

I was deep in thought as I pulled into my garage, deep thoughts that have been coursing through my mind all week. And as Julie and Ollie happily greeted me, tears filled my eyes as I realized I have a spot with those two hounds. I have a spot with my amazing kids (all six of them). I have a spot with my sweet granddaughter. I have a spot with my friends. I even have a spot with my life-saving head doctor. But most of all, I have a spot with God.

My spot ... we all need one, you know ... we all need a spot ... indeed we do, friends ... indeed we do.