Thought for The Day - The Space

For many years, the basement went through multiple arrangements. We moved into our home 25 years ago and the basement was unfinished and wide open. No previous owners' trash in a leftover box somewhere. There was a water heater, the furnace and one electrical outlet for a washer and dryer near the sink. But soon a daughter came and with that, the notion of my wife staying home to take care of her and provide daycare for a few children. Electrical outlets, huge carpet remnants and drywall brought in to make the space warm and inviting. The basement became the play area and stayed that way for years! The age differences in our three children ensured whatever television we had down here, was always tuned to Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, PBS or otherwise. I didn't mind because I didn't need space.

Most of my children are adults and my youngest spends most of his time in his room. We put up more drywall and now I have my own space. It isn't much and is mostly used as storage. But the 4' x 4' space I have feels like a huge loft space! This time of the morning, there is me, my computer and music. From time to time, I'll burn incense just because it seems to change the space a bit. My canvases, completed, in process and yet to be touched are all around; a table filled with art supplies sits behind me.

In the winter, this space gets C-O-L-D! So cold the space heater barely keeps me warm, not to mention the room! And after I have bundled up in a couple layers, complained and rubbed my hands together, the space becomes a cozy hideaway, with room for my ideas, my images and enough room to birth those ideas.

Thought for The Day - Underwater

In my teen years, I looked forward to having a family and a home of my own. Every dream - an unnerving thought - has a unpredictable, sometimes dark side.

I'm dropping this quick line before I get back to cleaning up the water in my basement. This has happened many times over the last few years. And though the city, state and I have worked hard to minimize the damage, one can't minimize the effects of a simple rain storm. It's getting to a point when it rains and comes down hard, I get a bit nervous, especially when I'm not home. Last night, I slept through whatever storm blew over the area! I've told my wife I've done some crazy stuff that tells me I'm much more tired than I realize. Sleeping through this storm is an indicator I'm exhausted.

I'll spend the better part of the day cleaning floors and airing out area rugs. And hopefully, the storm is passing and I'm regaining my sanity!

Thought for The Day - My Space

Each morning, I retreat to this spot in my house. A small room, carved out of the now finished basement. Two of the four walls have the exposed (painted white) brick from the days when the basement was one long space. The floor is the typical concrete floor for a basement, with a couple layers of different colored paints, now scratched and 'artsy.' There is a section of the room where my old weight bench sits and a stack of weight plates is near it. And just as you enter the door, there is my art table, filled with supplies and not nearly enough space to draw. But it's my space.

My desk sits behind the door; a monstrosity for the size of the room. These days, it's filled with an old pc desktop I fire up for the occasional "work from home" days. And the desk is cluttered with papers and books that need to be filed and organized. I have a closet where I keep my gym clothes and reams of paper I bought years ago to use in my graphic art business. Old items are everywhere and there is hardly any room to do much but sit down. But it's my space.

Like my poem "A Blank Page," this place holds far more than meets the eye. The space isn't about the clutter or the disarray of a man trying to "find himself," it is the space where I can step on the other side of reality and pluck a dream or ideal to share. Colors, words, images and sounds can be found in my space. And at the right time, in the right place, my space will be your space.