Writing happens wherever and whenever. And I’m always happy to find a fellow kitchen-table writer. –Orly
The truth is: I’m mobile.
Have iPad, will travel.
I can write on a plane, in a doctor’s office, or as I’m doing right now, in a gym lobby, waiting for my son to finish basketball practice.
But if I had to pick a writing spot, it would be…my glamorous kitchen table.
Yeah, I know it’s not exactly sexy. But it has some definite positives –
1) Proximity to family (if a member should start bleeding for instance, I can intervene.)
2) A French window.
The real reason I write at kitchen table is the window, which gives me a direct connection to nature. When I gaze up for Inspiration, I see snow covered pines, or my dog chasing an unimpressed squirrel. But the view is really for the birds (see what I did there?)
Note ferocious yellow lab.
I watch as the Blue jays bluster about, the tufted tit-mouse (mice?) perch, and the tomato-headed red finches dip in for a snack. The nuthatch flips upside down for her meal. A red-bellied and a downy woodpecker (friends, I think?) prefer suet. A stark red cardinal may grace the feeder, while morning doves wander around on the ground. Spotting an oriole in migration season is an actual thrill. And when the robin comes by…well, you know what that means.
In the summer, I switch things up a bit, moving to my rocker on the front porch instead. And of course, this means hanging fuschias to attract hummingbirds. And if I’m lucky, one might just veer close to me, vibrating inches away, while I’m holding my breath.
Can you name all the birds?
(Cardinal in tree, tufted tit-mouse on one feeder, red finch on other)
Why do I love my birds-eye view?
Birds remind me that life goes on out there, beyond the confines of my brain. They chatter and zip about, oblivious to me (and my absolutely ferocious yellow lab). Day after day, I sit writing, while the trees change with the seasons, as another year passes.
Nature reminds me that time is precious.
Every minute is a minute that I should grab.
And when I’m writing, that is just what I do.
Note children, no one bleeding.
About Sandra
Sandra A. Block graduated from college at Harvard, then returned to her native land of Buffalo, New York, for medical training and never left. She is a practicing neurologist and proud Sabres fan, and lives at home with her husband, two children, and impetuous yellow lab Delilah. She has been published in both medical and poetry journals.
