I recently moved my desk from upstairs to down, from the back of the house to the front, from sitting by a chimney to two windows. By “desk” I really mean computer, as the two desks themselves stayed right where they were.
This change comes because my husband took a new job for which he’ll be working from home. Our home office was where our main family computer was, as well as shelves full of bills, reference books, genealogy folders, and family games. We revamped the office to suit my husband’s larger work computer and two monitors, and de-cluttered the room to make it more conducive to the focus that’s required with programming.
With the Paul Klee, Giacometti, and other art displayed on the walls, the green velvet armchair and new taupe rug, and the newly subtle décor, I started wondering if I’d be envious! It’s a nice space – comfortable and calm. But I would be moving my computer to a handmade slate blue desk that he and I had bought in Shelburne, Vermont when we first moved in together almost twenty-four years ago. It stands tall and somewhat shallow, and has subtle decorations of its own – a slight stencil design across its front edge. I love these old pieces that he and I bought together – this desk, our antique gate leg table, the antique oak dresser, and a dark hardwood china cabinet that is also antique; all purchased here in Vermont when we were so much younger.
The room in which my desk would be is what we call “the front room” or “little room.” It is both – little and in the front of the house, right off the front door. We imagine it was once a parlor where visitors would be greeted. It has served us as a sitting room of sorts (and will still), containing bookshelves and two wingback chairs. A really comfortable room, and a favorite of all the dogs.
So I made the move, with the old family computer now mine, the addition of an antique library chair pulled up to the blue desk, and a keyboard drawer carefully installed beneath. I changed some artwork to a focus on Van Gogh, the space decorated mostly with old family favorites – delftware that had been my mother’s, hand carved kachinas from the southwest, seashells from Rhode Island and Cape Cod.
At first I did like it but didn’t love it. It’s entirely open to the dining room and hall, so no way to close a door if I need to concentrate in quiet. Beyond that, I honestly can’t remember what it was that I thought I’d miss. Our house is close to the road, so I do see whatever traffic comes by (not much, given we’re out in the country). But, from here I can also see the flowers surrounding the front porch, the birds that light upon the railings, neighbors’ cats, as well as occasional deer. The breezes are lovely and the birdsong uplifting. What the space lacks in privacy, it makes up for in open beauty.
Before I knew how much I would like this change, I accepted it and so I made the most of it. I made the change with no set expectations, just allowing it to be what it would be. It is a small example of approaching change in a positive way, and then fully realizing how wonderful that change really is. I am in a different place, both literally and figuratively. It’s a good place to be and I’m loving it.
