Author · Writing

Finding My Space

Featured evelinawood

I am sitting here in the huge overstuffed chair in the corner of my living room, setting up my writing nook, and I can’t stop smiling at how perfect it is.   My laptop is propped on a little portable desk which sits on the oversized hassock, a new keyboard with feel-able keys fits perfectly on the new lap desk that is set across my legs.  There are large fluffed pillows on either side of me, a cozy warm blanket is available if I need it, and my coffee sits in the built-in cup holder on the portable desk.  I have officially created a perfect little writing nook by my front picture window! 

I’ve been trying to figure out where my writing spot should be in the house for a while now.  Most of the time I write on my phone in bed or lounging on the loveseat in the living room.  When I work from home or try to get serious writing in, I set myself up in front of my laptop at the dining room table on a hard straightback chair that is absolutely not conducive to hours of sitting and typing.  I desperately needed to create some kind of space to just get cozy and relax enough to let my thoughts flow. 

I bought the little portable table with folding legs over the summer hoping I could use it in the living room to relax and write, but something was missing every time I tried to use it.  No matter what I did or how I sat, it always felt a little too high to type on comfortably and a bit awkward.  So, I put it aside and continued to write at the dining room table, grumbling to myself about the aches and pains I’d have each time I stood up to stretch.  

I don’t always feel things with my fingertips (they are usually numb because of my MS) and my laptop keyboard has low, flat keys that I struggle to sense beneath my fingers.  Jay took me to an electronics store so I could show him what I was looking for and this Christmas, he bought me the perfect keyboard with slight depressions in the keys.  In addition, he surprised me with a LapGear table – it’s like a little desktop, but with padding to sit on your legs comfortably and a wrist pad across the lower edge of the desktop for extra support.

This morning I decided to set the laptop on the little table I bought months ago while I sat behind it, snuggled into the chair with my new keyboard on the LapGear table.  Jay is a freaking genius!  I want to go run and tell him, but he’s not feeling good and still sleeping.  This is absolutely amazing and changes everything. Jay has his desk in the spare bedroom for his gaming and now, I have this corner of our large living room thanks to Jay’s thoughtfulness.  Every day I am amazed at how Jay knows what I need, when even I don’t know what I need… 

An end table is to the left of me in front of the picture window.  It has a large, deep drawer in the front that I can keep the mouse, keyboard and my notebooks tucked away. There is enough space between the chair and end table for me to leave the desks when I am not using them, and plenty of space on the hassock for my feet, books, and anything else I need around me while I write.  My little stand up table even has a cup holder for my coffee, cocoa or water –  everything I need is in easy reach so I can finally settle in and get some serious writing done.  

The new keyboard is quiet enough that if I want to write in the wee hours of the morning before everyone gets up, I can.  It is perfectly divot-ed for my fingers to feel the keys without hitting other ones all the time like they do with the flat keys on my laptop.  Wooohoooo!!!

I may move a few more things around over here, but this space is now absolutely perfect.  The big cozy chair, that I hesitated to buy when I bought the love seat and couch set a few years ago, now has a place of pride and purpose.  

What’s even crazier is that I can totally work from home over here much more comfortably than at the dining room table.  Plenty of light, plenty of space and most importantly, I can grab a blanket and be completely comfy and cozy while answering emails, solving problems and working on projects.

I am not sure how I got so lucky to have a man like Jay, but I will be forever grateful that he fell back into my life a few years ago. I love, love, love this little life of mine.

Evelina Wood is ready to shine and write her little heart out in 2026. If you need me, I’ll be in my cozy corner, lost in my own little world, working on an amazing historical fiction series and dreaming big…

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Published by evelinawood

I was lucky to have been born in the Hudson Valley, NY. My heart lies buried deep in my roots: the tract of immense acreage from New York City to the Adirondacks that is a treasure trove of American History beginning with the Native Indian tribes of the Algonquin and Iroquois to colonization, the Revolutionary War, to the Industrial Age and right up through to modern times. It is an area that has experienced profound change, yet still retains its majestic beauty. I fell in love with Hudson Valley history at a young age. My hometown alone has three historic sites: the homes of Franklin D Roosevelt, the Vanderbilts and the Livingston Mills. As a young girl I imagined myself as a part of these homes and I was lucky to have teachers who flamed my passions for local history; they created an insatiable curiosity that has followed me throughout my life; inspiring me to learn more about all of the people who came before me. My favorite time period is the Edwardian Era: the time of robber barons, railroad magnates and gilded lifestyles, encompassing the end of the Victorian Era until the First World War. Those who had money flaunted it profusely, and those who didn't suffered in unimaginable ways. The Hudson Valley experienced the contrast directly with the immense mansions built along the shores of the Hudson River to the immigrants arriving in New York City to make a new life in the United States. My blog will provide glimpses of life in the Hudson Valley during this time by drawing on the historical research I am always working with and through the snippets of stories I am writing. I hope that my blog brings you enjoyment and a new perspective on a beautiful area so important to American History. Happy reading and thank you for taking the time to visit me!

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