This importance of a desk

All this moving (4 homes in a month!) has made me think a lot about hearth and home, and what is important in a place to live. The phrase "hearth and home" gives some clue as to what used to be important - the fireplace used to be central to dwelling. As much as I am a fan of sitting around the fire, and perhaps nothing is more fully homely, it's just not that central in modern life. Perhaps the kitchen takes this role for me; I've found the ability to cook - and cook properly, not to microwave things - is something that makes me feel pretty grounded. 

As someone pretty used to sleeping on floors and couches and bus or plane seats, this one might seem a little odd - but a decent bed is also pretty important. I think it may be that, while its actually pretty easy to get minimal rest anywhere, over the long term you need somewhere to fully retreat from the world. That probably means a bed at least as long as you are, that doesn't mess with your back, and at least 8 hours a night quiet enough to get proper shut-eye.

But the last one - and the one most surprising to me - is a desk. I figure this is probably a personality/occupational specific one. I'm sure for a lot of people a desk isn't so central. But lets face it - I may not necessarily end up "an academic", but I'm academic in the sense that whatever I do, its going to revolve around a desk of some sort. And although I thought that meant any flat service, the quality of the desk probably has a lot to do with how grounded I am. My desk at home, for instance - aside from just being beautiful - has a family heritage that is particularly grounding. It's also stocked with all the bits of stationery I've hoarded over the years, meaning that I'm fairly well equipped for most situations. In fact, when I had to set up tabs rooms for tournaments, I usually brought a box full of everything, so that I could set up a mobile deskspace that was at the very least functional - and it helped a lot. The other desk there was the first grown-up thing I bought with my own money, and signalled my transition to university. 

I suppose in many ways I can work on any flat surface - but if its not a good desk, or more if its not become my desk, then it really does have an impact. Jobs I've done, for instance, where the desk is super anonymous and you don't customise it much, feel inevitably temporary. The desk in dorm last year in Oxford was a little like that - it was a big table, really, and while it was fairly functional it contributed to the sincerely temporary feeling of the place. This year has been bizarre; the desk in my first place was just not functional at all, and meant it was nearly impossible to work there. In between places have varied. But this new place - well, the desk "described as Sherlock Holmes-esque" is a beauty. It's old, dark wood...it hasn't been treated well, and so is falling apart, but that somehow adds to it all. And its got plenty of drawyers and pockets for things. So it feels mine already, and functional, and a place to get work done. And I've only been here two days and already it feels very homely sitting here. Oh, the big window with sunshine helps too ;)