Provide a special place

“A chair is still a chair, even when there’s no one sitting there....” Familiar with lyrics?

In case you are, then you must belong to the Baby Boomer Generation. If not, then you must be one of those young brilliant musicians who have a knack for great songs with great lyrics, can’t stand noise and appreciate real music.

Let me continue with some more ly-rics of the same song. “But a chair is not a house, and a house is not a home when there’s no one there....” When Dionne Warwick sang this song composed by Burt Bacharach, the whole world sang along with it, too. It remains one of my favorite songs today.

Now this brings me to our main topic.

A house should be a home, and in it should have a special place or a special corner where you and I can do our life’s work.

The question is, do you have it?

Back in the day, the Ilocana (a term of endearment I have for my wife, Lilia) and I were considering a condo unit where the two of us lovebirds would spend the rest of our lives together.

We had a tour of the showroom. The empty nest bothered us, and as we viewed the room, we realized those units were pretty small. We need to live within our means though, so we seriously considered owning one. Therefore, that huge penthouse unit we have been dreaming of remains a dream.

Understandably, the Ilocana’s concern was the kitchen space. Guess what mine was? A special corner.

A special place of mine where I can do my life’s work. The term “Life’s Work” is no deliberate attempt to promote a book I authored many years ago, but rather, to denote the entire work of my lifetime.

That special place serves as my private sanctuary where I retreat to, meditate, pray, study, prepare lessons, record my radio stuff, create, organize my thoughts, make and restore memories, have my quiet time, process events in my life, and a lot more activities I cannot do in a public place.

It should be away from the newspapers, cable TV, or whatever bad news, or worse, that is happening out there in the world, that when given access to the soul, would rob the creative and positive energy out of me.

It should also be free from the tyranny of the urgent, the voices and noises that compete for my attention, and the scores of posts and tweets that would divert me away from the very creative process that prepares me for my work every day.

I have learnt that when I spend the first choice hours of the morning in my very own “special place,” nothing seems to happen, but eventually, something will.

Today, that “special place” of mine is the very central nerve of my life’s work. Major life decisions were and are conceptualized in that place.

That special place could be a corner in my bedroom. It could be a favorite corner of a coffee shop for you. It’s where you spend your special moments.

From this “special place” flows the work I do all these years serving to influence and inspire people who would allow me to occupy a special place in their lives as well.

You need to have your own special place and build special places for your kids as well. Once they learn how to think, process thoughts, create ideas, study their lessons, pray and study The Scriptures, these spaces will be a lot more important than the spacious living room with the 82 inch LED TV in it. This “special place” may just make special people out of them.

Meanwhile, the units are so small, but, it doesn’t matter as long as I have my “special place.”

(Connect with Francis Kong on www.facebook.com/franciskong2. or listen to “Business Matters” Monday to Friday 8:00a.m. And 6:30 p.m. over 98.7 dzFE-FM ‘The Master’s Touch’, the classical music station.)