Songs From A Room

A long, long time ago, way back in 1969, my favourite Canadian poet released his second album Songs From A Room. I'm a big fan of Leonard Cohen's music. I've collected his works from since I was in high school and am still tormenting family members by playing his music over and over and over. And over and over and over.

On that album, there's a song called Tonight Will be Fine and here's a verse from it:

I choose the rooms that I live in with care
The windows are small and the walls almost bare.
There's only one bed and only one chair
And I listen all night for your step on the stair.

After that he goes on and on about how lovesick and crazy for this girl he is but, hey, he was a young man back then, what else are you going to sing about? I wanted to point out his description of a well decorated room: stripped to the essentials. It does my heart good to hear I am not alone on this. My wife always wants to put up pictures and frilly things over the curtains. I've seen the dreaded knickknack shelves full of collectible figurines. And I know everyone has their own style and it's not wrong. But I want to point out that one of the smartest men who ever lived agrees with me:

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." --Albert Einstein

He probably was talking about some physics problem and not how to best layout your bedroom, but he was so smart, it might just have been one of the great underlying principles of the universe, you never know.

I recently re-equipped Brian's bedroom for my own use now that he's in Utah for the next two years. There's a bed and a chair. We got the chair from Staples just last week. Along with the new desk and dresser, the room is a work of art. Small window and nothing on the walls but paint, just like the song says. After it was all done, I sat back and thought how wonderful it looked. So beautiful in its simplicity. A work of art even. That's when I thought of the song.

On the desk is a keyboard, mouse and a 24 inch screen. And nothing else. The stark simplicity seems to call out for me to sit down and do something. Fill this hard drive full of your photos, your stories, your programs and software. Write some software! Oddly enough, it made me think back to Leonard Cohen again. From his first book The Favourite Game. I don't have a copy anymore and it's not on Amazon for the Kindle so the quote is missing. But he talks about getting ready for the school year and the annual trip to the store to stock up on school supplies. He writes about all the notebooks so empty and aching to be filled with the business of living. About all the pencils and erasers who have not yet been put into service and are unfulfilled in their purpose.

Take a moment and enjoy Leonard's latest song from his new (now platinum!) album Old Ideas: Going Home