draw the line

I spotted Paul ahead of us in line. He made his way towards us in his tweed jacket, greeting friends and family that made up the crowd along the way. After the how-do-you-do's, he asked if I saw the sign on his studio wall the night of the 100 Year Celebration. I hadn't. He put his finger in the air, as if writing the letters: "'Have you designed something today?'" He smiled when he added the question mark, very Victor Borge. I just wanted to pass that along," he said. He told me about his latest lecture given yesterday to university students. "I remember that one," I said. He nodded.

The design part of the discussion over for the time being, he and Dad started talking about favorite fly fishing spots between here and Jackson. I clipped the line from their conversation and began to run through my design day chronologically. Sure, I designed things mentally today, adding and subtracting elements here and there. I browsed floor plans online this morning, changing the traffic flow for easier access to the main parts of the house. On the way to a client's house today I was stuck behind a service truck. In front of house barely framed, I shifted some windows to the right in my mind, adjusting the fenestration until it was symmetrical. On the way home I added sidelights to a door on a house I passed in the Avenues. But I haven't put pen to paper. That's what Paul meant. His desk is always covered with scraps of tracing paper, mere scribbles to someone else, but in his mind it is all a part of the larger whole. So, instead of writing a meaningless missive, tonight I'm going to sit and design something. After which I am going to put a sign up above my desk like Paul has above his, which reads, "Have you designed something today?"