I am not a big fan of making New Year’s Resolutions, but this year I’ve come up with a doozy. I have a little 8×8 writing room off my bedroom that is SUPPOSED to be a place to get work done, but in reality functions as a glorified storage closet. A short list of things currently in my writing room, to illustrate my point:

Things that belong:
-Me.
-My laptop.
-A cushy chair with a quilt on it.
-My green bookshelf.
-Books.
-My manuscripts, neatly tucked into three-ring binders.

Things that do not belong:
-A child in a sleeping bag. (Though it has to be admitted, he’s pretty cute!)
-A dog that I’m pretty sure witnessed the creation of the universe.
-Dirty dishes.
-A laundry hamper.
-Six boxes overflowing with unpacked junk.
-This weird pink purse I bought at a deep discount at Younkers three years ago.
-Wm. C. Brown’s Fourth Edition “Guide to Teaching Brass.”
-A dog dish containing a broken Christmas ornament. (???)
-A mechanical Ernie (from Sesame Street) in a chicken costume that sings and does that weird laugh while doing the chicken dance. (No, I am not kidding.)
-Three empty picture frames.
-A bag of clothes for Goodwill, that has broken open and spewed its contents under my desk.
-Cannibalized bits of an old computer that someone has deemed worth keeping.
-A trombone.

You can see my problem.

So my New Year’s Resolution? *deep breath* To begin taking myself seriously enough to respect my own space, and keep everyone else’s stuff OUT. I don’t mind clutter, as long as it’s MY clutter. Pretty, girly clutter that makes me smile when I see it, that reminds me of best friends and ballet lessons and childhood bedrooms and what my kids looked like as babies. Chicken Dance Ernie and trombones I can do without. Children and dogs are negotiable. 🙂

Wish me luck, friends. I’m going to need it.