Getting old is the pits. There are many things I love about aging, the biggest being that I know and like myself better than when I was younger. I love that we’re at a point in our lives that we’ve built something: we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors, with a comfy home and awesome kids. Life just isn’t as hard now as the struggle of young adulthood when you’re still trying to figure everything out.
However. Aging also comes with a deteriorating body. Aging brings failing eyesight and aches just from sitting. Now that I’ve started drawing, I’ve picked up yet another hobby that involves being seated and that requires a stable surface to create on, good lighting, and excellent vision, which I no longer have.
I read, I write, and now I draw, and I find myself moving from seat to seat in our house, trying to find a comfortable place to do any of them. Sitting on the couch with a lapboard hurts my shoulder and my back, and it’s not by the window where I can get natural light during the day. The chaise lounge is by the window, but it also hurts my back and neck, and at night, forget about it for lighting — the lamp is behind the chair, so my body casts a shadow on any drawing or writing I try to do. Our dining table is good for lighting during the day thanks to the natural light that pours in through the sliding glass door, but the chairs are hard, and the table is constantly covered in crumbs. My desk in my office would probably do, but I don’t want to be in my office for my me time. It’s in the basement, the lighting is too bright and sterile, it is separated from everyone, and it is where I spend all day for work. I don’t want to be in there for my leisure activities.
When I picture my ideal space for writing and drawing, I picture a small rectangular table by a source of natural light, like you always see in movies where writers have a little desk facing a window, or snugged up next to one, so they can look out when they stop to think. At first I pictured a little round cafe table, but the circular surface would likely be less utilitarian than I’d need it to be for supplies. I’d have a sturdy chair that was supportive yet cushioned, and there would be a good lamp on the table for when there’s no daylight. Ooh! I’d probably also like a magnifying glass, one of those ones mounted on an arm so I could put it in place, hands-free, for drawing. The space would be in a living room, a study, or a library, maybe with a fireplace — a cozy room that’s warm in winter and that’s not isolated from my family. Nearby, I’d have a little storage space for journals, fountain pens, sketchpads, and pencils.
I don’t know how or where I’d set up a space like this in our current home, but I’m doubtful we’ll live in this house forever. Once the kids are both launched in their lives and we know a little better where they’ll be, we might start looking to relocate. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what kind of space I’d like to create on the next leg of our life journey, and a little nook for reading, writing, and drawing is definitely on my mind. I look forward to a day when I don’t have to move all my writing or drawing supplies from one seat to another, and my shoulder and neck don’t hurt, and I don’t have to strain my eyes to do these things I enjoy.
Butterfly Mind 