I imagine that I will write my project both at work and at home. At work, I have a surprising amount of time for myself, in addition to the solitude of a small office. I have the ability to bring my computer with me and work from it. Most of my “free” time is actually time that I spend at work. I find it useful to use that spare time to do productive things in my life, even if I can’t physically leave that space.

When I close my eyes now and think about me writing my project, I can see everything in the office. I spend so many hours there every week that it feels as familiar to me as my own room. It is fairly small, but doesn’t feel too cramped when its just me alone in there. It feels just right. The walls are stacked with shelves all the way up to the ceiling. Each shelf is packed to its’ maximum capacity with boxes of papers, office supplies, forgotten books and other miscellaneous items. Some of the boxes have people’s names on them and are filled accordingly with their personal items. In Max’s box for example, there are keys, a box of chocolates, and band aides. There are probably more personal and random items in the office than there are things that actually pertain to the business. It almost feels like someone’s attic more than it does an office.

The desk encircles the entire room, again, to maximize the space. The desk, like the shelves, is also lined with various objects. Computers, keyboards, papers, staplers, tape, tissues, hand sanitizer, and other cleaning agents. At times it is difficult to see what the desk even looks like because it is covered in ‘stuff.’ At my area of the desk, I like to keep things clean and minimal so that I can easily clear my mind. If I come in and find that there are papers and notes all around my desk I go on a throwing away frenzy and toss everything into the garbage. I just can’t work surrounded by junk. This is not to say that I am a neat freak, but I am capable of realizing what things are just junk and willing to let them go.

The floors of the office under the desk are compartmentalized by panels. Under each compartment there are small filing cabinets filled with more papers, pens, pencils, markers, post its, staples, the list goes on…

There are 5 chairs in the office for each computer station. 5! None of them really fit into their allotted spaces because they are honestly too large for an office of that size. When I sit in my chair, I sometimes have trouble fitting my legs comfortably under the desk if it is not at the perfect height. Any extraneous movements beyond my desk are difficult to make with the bulky chairs and for that reason I keep my movement in and around the office to a minimum.

The office itself is tucked away on the second floor of the restaurant in the farthest corner. It feels like a safe haven, and I find that I am lucky to spend my time there when I am working. I imagine that if anything ever goes wrong at least I am in this hidden and secret room of my own.

Although the office isn’t as spacious as I’d like it to be, its still one of my favorite places. I choose to keep my desk cleaner than the rest of the office, but without all the other stuff the space would feel empty and impersonal. Being mindful of what the office has come to mean to me while I’m writing my project may help me to be more peaceful, at ease, and comfortable to let my writing flow. I’ll be able to have confidence in the space I’m in and allow myself to be vulnerable with my writing. I know that I get some of my best work done in that office and this time shouldn’t be any different.

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