My sisters could recount stories of my messier days. Anna would make a single pass with the vacuum cleaner when she came into my bedroom because there was just enough carpet space for the width of the vacuum cleaner. Sometimes, I’m amazed at how much a pack rat I was.

Over the years, I’ve worked to be tidier and organized with my stuff. I preferred a minimalist look in my previous apartments for easier cleaning. My room in the seminary maintains that trend. But a single scourge remains: my messy desk.

During my newspaper days, my desk would pile up with old newspapers and printouts. One time, schoolchildren were walking through the newsroom. A kid walked by and said: “Wow, look at the huge stack of newspapers.” An occasional cleaning would bring a momentary reprieve.

Now in the seminary, classes have cranked up and reading has become my hamster wheel. When will this ever end? Saturday the 12^th brought an end to the week. But the homework continues.

Finally, I looked at my desk. How did it turn out like this?

Yes, that’s right. New Testament Greek and Lord of the Rings for this semester. Exciting? Scary? Fun? Plenty of studying? Yep. Yep. Yep. And yep.

But it made me curious whether a disorganized desk offers a clue about my personality. I discovered this beauty of an article: http://blog.busybuildingthings.com/post/68180225961/why-you-should-have-a-messy-desk.

It’s nice to know that I’m in the same company with Albert Einstein and Mark Twain. The article suggests more creativity with a messy desk and more efficiency with an organized desk.

Maybe I should leave it messy when I want to write a poem or a blog entry. Then clear the desk to read and study.

Too bad, I don’t have two buttons on my desk: one for messy and one for tidy.

Oh, well. Back to work.