MY OFFICE
I do a fair amount of work from my home office. It’s pretty nice, I have it set up specifically for work and writing.
I’ve had the same rule for the kids their whole life regarding my office: Don’t touch anything in my office! A few times over the years, I went as far as telling them, “Don’t even step foot in my office”! –“I don’t even want you to breathe in there”!
This was usually followed by one of the kids borrowing something from my office without asking. I never knew the exact moment they were breaking the rule. I only found out something was missing when I desperately needed it.
It’s a game I thought I could win! I’ve tried everything. When I went shopping for some of my basic office needs, I’d go out of my way to make sure everyone else in the house had their essentials as well. Not so much because I’m a good guy, I just didn’t want any juvenile hands pilfering through my organized things.
Can you say Jumbo Pack? If I needed paper I’d buy the 40 lb. box. When it was time for a new stapler I’d buy three. The count on mechanical pencils must be up to around 1 million. There was a time when I had several calculators, more than five retractable erasers, and at least three architectural scales.
Yesterday? I had nothing…Zero, zilch, nada. I was a regular “Old Mother Hubbard.” It’s funny (not ha ha, more like peculiar) how no one is ever at home when I discover that my office has been raided. I talk to myself… I know I’m all alone, but I ask the question anyway, “ARE YOU KIDDIN’ ME”?!!!
Apparently no one’s keeping the house rules when it comes to my office. Everything was gone except two empty staplers. My office was like Whoville after the Grinch’s raid.
Instead of getting work done, I rifle through the house on my personal “Treasure Hunt.” My list is always the same and I never ever find everything on my list. When the kleptomaniacs get home they never seem to remember taking anything. I’m not sure Sherlock Holmes could solve these seemingly obvious mysteries. Although I haven’t gone as far as dusting for fingerprints just yet.
I look up from my frustration and am surrounded by pictures of the perpetrators. They look kind and innocent in the pictures. I spot the picture over the fireplace of all of my girls taken about ten years ago. My wife was taller than all of them back then. Oh, don’t think that I’m not aware that she too does her share of pilfering!
I study the picture of all four of them at the lake on an oversized inner tube. They don’t really look like criminals. I see the sketch of the three sisters done about seven years ago at Lego-Land. They didn’t want to get it done. I made them stand in line to get that done. Sure glad I did.
I see the team sports pictures spanning the big girls High School years. I spy the pictures from children to current day. I’m remembering all the times of frustration spent trying to prevent my office supplies from disappearing. I also recall all of the time spent recovering some of the lost articles.
I have to laugh… I wouldn’t trade these memories for anything. Whatever taken from “The Forbidden Room” was used on school projects. They figured out how to succeed. None of them were going to let a simple house rule interfere with what they knew was important to me as much as them.
I spot a picture of my wife at about two years old. There I am about the same age with a plastic phone in my hand. Right above us is a photograph of my wife’s parents on their wedding day. Over to the left is a picture of my mom and dad taken around 1969. That’s my favorite picture of them.
This room I call my office, I cherish. I don’t blame my family for breaking a few rules every now and then.
I guess they already figured that out…
Brenda
Thursday, December 2, 2010 @ 9:42 pm
Love the look on the picture. Very intimidating. Not even I would dare go into your office. I understand not wanting your girls to step one foot in your office, but not wanting them to breathe in there! That’s going too far….don’t you think? About not daring to go into your office….I would….the intimidating look just makes me want to do so even more. BTW, you look good on that chair. It really suits you.
floyd
Thursday, December 2, 2010 @ 10:30 pm
OH I Know you’e be in that office in a second! I just can’t figure out if you’d breath or not? Well actually I know the answer to that too. Your a real trouble maker Brenda! I suppose that’s why we get along so well!
Brenda
Friday, December 3, 2010 @ 10:20 am
You’d let me breathe. You’d just have to try to keep me from getting in to your office. You’d have to get past my boys though.
And yes, I am a trouble maker and it does not bother me one bit.
floyd
Friday, December 3, 2010 @ 3:52 pm
That’s what we love about you!
Lainey
Friday, December 3, 2010 @ 7:50 am
This reminds me so fondly of my Dad, who always hid his stash of Hershey’s
Almond bars in the closet of his office. We all knew where they were, but if
he noticed his dwindling supply, he never mentioned it!
floyd
Friday, December 3, 2010 @ 9:16 am
Some things never change! I’m sure at the time you thought you were pretty sneaky, and your dad just smiled…
Lisa Galati
Sunday, December 5, 2010 @ 8:08 pm
Oh my Gosh, made me laugh!
That is such a guy thing.
I think “don’t touch my things, especially on my desk or work bench.” comes with your owners manual. The bad part is most of us women don’t read the manual. oops!
floyd
Monday, December 6, 2010 @ 7:01 am
Thanks for your honesty! Not many of us follow house rules, unless they’re ours!
Jo
Monday, December 6, 2010 @ 6:04 am
Floyd, I don’t know that I would go in your office! I think maybe Stan took whatever is missing!
floyd
Monday, December 6, 2010 @ 6:59 am
No Way! Stan knows the secrets of the brotherhood! He’d never take anything!
April
Monday, December 6, 2010 @ 7:26 am
With my dad, I would always steal his pens. He always had the good pens, the ones I wasn’t given for school (and I have a thing for pens) so I would always steal his! 🙂
floyd
Monday, December 6, 2010 @ 1:03 pm
Some how I knew that pens were your weakness. It won’t surprise you to find out that they’re mine as well. I was running a bit long or I was going to add to that post that even though my family takes lots of things from my office, they have never taken my most prized pen. I have to write everything out before I can type it. I don’t want to lose the magic I feel when I write and they understand my “pen thing.” My youngest isn’t out of the woods just yet, she’s a bit like you… I’ll have to keep an eye on her!
brad gore
Monday, December 6, 2010 @ 7:01 pm
I know it is not right to be envious, but one day I too, will have my own office.
I now know the most vital supplies.
floyd
Monday, December 6, 2010 @ 7:25 pm
Yeah, but I miss all the old lost supplies!
DEAN SAMONS
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 @ 4:46 pm
Well Floyd you may be getting old enough for me to tell you this!!! Stuff vanishes from us, most home makers and single me knew what its like to have stuff vanish even when no one lives with them,,,,, one small example would be socks,,, i know you are a smart guy you and others may try to figure it out but for me uuuummmm I say UNCLE
floyd
Thursday, December 9, 2010 @ 6:46 am
That wouldn’t be the first time you said uncle!
My Homepage
Monday, January 11, 2021 @ 1:26 pm
… [Trackback]
[…] There you will find 49950 more Infos: theregoi.com/finding-floyd/my-office/ […]