Love Stories and a Responsive Reader

I used to write love stories when I was small where I would set myself as one of the protagonists, of course ;) and then hid the notebook in a secret place that would quickly be discovered by a very avid reader of my prose… my younger sister.

I knew she was doing it… rummaging through my drawers and devouring the stories in seconds. I knew that sometimes she was mocking me a little… I knew that there were times when she found my writing all too cheesy and emotional but still… she was reading it… and I felt privileged by her interest in them.

I think I understand now why I felt like that. You see… the moment she giggled or rolled her eyes while reading: “I waited a second and he kissed me gently”, she ratified my work.

The moment her mind travelled out of our country when the story said: “We went together to meet them in Ireland”, she endorsed it.

The moment she found consolation in reading that: “There is always a new beginning… and a better end.”, she validated my work.

The laugh, the mind wandering and the sigh of relief – here’s how the work of writers comes to life. The reader doesn’t need to like it to respond to it.

Released From The Clutter (image and article)

I attempted to do the impossible over Christmas – I set out to part with one-third of my belongings. When I announced it to my husband and our toddler my husband worryingly replied: ‘But that means that one of us needs to go.’ :)

Well.. not quite.

All that went was the evidence of overcommitment: unread books, unused items, not-yet-or-not-often-worn clothes, forgotten home decorations, disliked music, excessive stationery and other neglected bits and pieces. I was very happy to remove them from my sight and give us back the space where we could hear our thoughts without having our attention pulled in many disparate directions. We needed a home that will stop us from being preoccupied with what we haven’t done and instead allow us to do what we want to do. Do you have a space like that? Space where you can stay relaxed but focused? Space that calms you down but at the same time allows you to move forward?

I see some beautiful images online of vast and glorious terrains and I imagine how easy it is to breathe and think in those spaces. Uncluttered by our engineering and unwanted items. Those spaces are physical representations of the mind that we want to have. Is this why we so eagerly appreciate photographs of single items that just sit there caressed by light, privileged by the space? Or photographs of open spaces… territories where we are free to wander and explore? They awaken a craving in us… don’t they? They draw us in.

That is why I decided I want to defend the spaciousness of our house, protect it from the jumble, disorder and confusion… decolonize our province and reinstate its original beauty and order. It needs to be liberated from the clutter. And we need that too.