The unexpected makeover

On my trusty Macintosh computer's hard drive, and through its 1280 x 1084 pixel monitor, I access all things; from family vacation photos, to personal tax information back to 1991. Should I wish to view the latest blockbuster, the internet is forever at the ready with times and locations. Perhaps I have a sudden need to draw a cartoon face from the word "boy;" no problem, click over to wikiHom.com and be tutored on how to accomplish such a vital undertaking. To communicate with friends in far-flung places, I power up my webcam. I am a small boy with a whiz-bang, boffo toy; technology is way righteously cool!

So, one can see how distressing it can be when a prominent author in the field of presentation skills (a topic essential to speakers) suggests designing one's speeches in "analog fashion." In simple English, that means, "plan your ideas before turning on the computer."

"Blasphemy! Humbug!" I bellow, "How can one accomplish anything in such a quaint, outdated fashion?"

Yet, wanting to improve my craft (and weary of the bleary-eyed side effect of a computer jockey), I heeded his advice and invested in a white board from my friendly, neighborhood office supply superstore.

My first obstacle upon bringing home this single-plane, erasable, analog, planning device was deciding where to mount it. Since my office walls are lined with memorabilia, I was required to pull down several plaques and photographs until a space large enough to accommodate my purchase was available. If you have wall mountings and you remove them, you are probably aware of the "clean spaces" left behind, where once hung frames. Try as I might to ignore them, I eventually succumbed and started cleaning the walls. One cannot leave some sections of wall unsoiled and not others; soon therefore my efforts expanded to most of my office, generating a coating of dust upon the bookcases.

Out comes wood polish and wax; yet, it is too difficult to clean around the tzachkis. Therefore into the trash went 20-year-old knick-knacks, no longer of value. As space opened up, I rearranged desk furniture; until finally, due to the upset and tumult that besieged my workspace, I fired up the vacuum cleaner and removed the thick layer of dust from the carpet.

At long last, with all completed, I triumphantly mounted the white board, took a step back, placed hands proudly upon hips, and admired the fruits of my labors. It's odd; nailing up a two by three foot white board is in reality, a five-minute task. However, as one thing cascaded to another, and another, and still one more; the entire mission consumed several hours; culminating with a complete office makeover.

But, isn't that how it goes? In past days, the thought of cleaning my entire office caused my spirit to freeze; leaving me petrified. Yet, upon the decision to do one unimportant task, a negligible alteration, I tackled the whole issue head on.

It isn't about doing everything; it's finding a small inroad, one thing, no matter how insignificant; and getting that done. One never knows how it will end.