Mottos and parties
My office chair has reached the end of its life. It wasn’t new when I bought it, about twenty years ago. I ordered a new, fancy one, but it will take weeks to arrive from Sweden; in the meantime the numb bum syndrome was getting serious.
The answer was a cushion. So I set off to buy one. I had intended a boring black or navy office chair sized one, but as I wandered through the shopping mall, I spotted a window display of fat, large, brightly coloured cushions, each one stencilled with an inspiring or humorous quote.
Great, I thought, when my writing falls flat and inspiration fails, all I have to do is stand up and read my quote.
It didn’t take me long to pick out the one I liked best. It spoke to me – loudly, ‘I’m what you want. Seek no further.’ Not only that but it was on sale so obviously the right one to get.
Though I love reading quotations and mottos, I don’t tend to take them seriously. But since buying my cushion, I’ve given this one a lot of thought and come to the conclusion that it’s something well worth trying to live by.
Keep calm and party on
may sound superficial but it’s not as simple as it sounds and I like to mull over its various possibilities.
When I’m made a fictional knight (the literary equivalent of a normal knighthood), my coat of arms – keyboard rampant over crossed ballpoints – will incorporate this motto in sparkly writing.
e a m harris 