I have a really lame bookshelf in my kitchen. (I have to have bookshelves in every room.) The shelf itself isn’t lame, but the drawer at the top is. Every time anyone pulls it out, it teeters and almost falls, dumping its contents on the floor. I’m used to it and know to only pull it out an inch and a half and to just fish in there with my fingertips to get what I need. My husband made the mistake of trying to find the fingernail clippers in it the other day and it dumped. Orange Post-its and old Cub Scout Arrow Points I never quite sewed on the uniforms and binder clips and 3×5 cards with defunct phone numbers spewed all over the kitchen floor. My husband doesn’t curse, but if he did, he would have.
Anyhow, I keep finding debris from the spill. Today, an orange Post-It appeared and I flipped it over. Who knows when, but I’d made a note on the back:
“Writing begins with the breath.” —Laraine Herring
Well, that didn’t belong in the junk drawer. I’m so glad it made its escape so I could think about that for a while.
After thinking about it, I put it through the search engine and found this:
“Lessons and imaginative exercises show you how to: stay with your writing when your mind or body starts to pull you away; explore the five senses in your writing; and approach your writing without judgment.”
It’s the name of a writing book by Laraine Herring, about how to find your voice. Wow. Find an old orange Post-It and find your voice. Maybe everyone should clean out their junk drawers.
