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Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Space Wars

I don't know if Aristotle was right and nature does abhor a vacuum, but I know my dad sure does.

One of the hardest things about having my dad come to live with me after my mom died is how there can be no flat space in my house that doesn't get covered with his stuff. I have to clear space at the kitchen table almost every day before I can sit down to dinner. And my dining room!

So it was my idea that my dad work on his memoirs at the dining room table. He'd started out at the kitchen table and that meant there was no room for anything else except his life story. I'm the one who suggested the dining room table--it's an underutilized space and it would keep the table we use all the time clear--but I didn't realize how much of an impact this would have.

For an example, I bought a new author planner to go along with my regular, day-to-day planner. I'd love to sit at a table and open it, take some time and space to page through it, but I have nowhere I can do this except my lap. Kitchen table? Not a chance. Dining room table? Covered in memoirs. My desk top? It's filled with computer equipment. There is no space there. I even keep my regular planner on a pulled out drawer so I can see it every day.

Right now, my counters are covered, too. Generally I wage war over keeping those uncluttered, but it's been a busy month and I forgot to keep after him.

There are other challenges living with my dad, too. (He's an extreme extrovert, I'm an extreme introvert, for example) The space wars, though, is one of the biggest issues I deal with. I like everything put away. I'm not sure why my dad has never had a problem leaving every flat surface covered in stuff.