As I write this missive, both my office and my workshop are completely clean. (Not a little clean, but really clean.) Now, my personal opinion is that a clean office is a sign of a disturbed mind. It kills creativity and, for those of us who are clutter-inclined, it imparts an increasing sense of unease that leads to inescapable dread. It is unnatural … it just is.
Now add the fact that I spent all weekend literally throwing pieces of wood, jigs and widgets, that over the last decade I had previously judged “too good to throw out” into a 30-yard dumpster. I have to tell you, I am on edge and it is not good.
But fear not, as a friend of mine told me yesterday, “tough times end, tough people never do…” I will come out of this OK. Don’t spend too much time worrying about me. One other thing that never lasts in my world is a clean office.
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
