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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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Last night, I thought that I would start decorating my prayer book with the expensive set of markers I bought for school. Well, it turns out that the ink won’t adhere because the “pleather” surface is too slick. I sanded the cover, but to no avail. I thought about acrylic paint, but I am sure it will eventually flake off and make a mess. Then, I thought about making a book cover — you know, the kind you made in elementary school to cover your textbooks? I won’t use a brown paper bag, though. I have some rag paper left over from a previously drawing class, and I think I’ll use that since I like the texture of it. I may throw in some watercolors, too.

This morning, I cleaned off my desk before I left for work. Yay, me! It’s amazing how many stacks of mail, catalogs and other items one can accumulate in a couple of months. My mom was just saying the other day that our problem is not being able to clean, but being able to maintain. I go through this vicious cycle of cleaning up, letting it get messy again and then cleaning up when I am finally sick of looking at the pile of clutter I accumulated. I read somewhere that taking 15 minutes a day to de-clutter can make a big difference, so I think I better start doing that. No better time than the present to create new good habits!

I’ve been wanting to stick to my plan on spending 15 minutes outside soaking in a little daylight, but it’s been too hot lately. Maybe I should sit by a window instead. I haven’t done that in a while, either, so that should count for something, right? That would be a good time to read a magazine or do some doodling, I suppose. Ah, just the sound of that makes me look forward to it already. Of course, if I do this at work, I’ll have to go to another room. At my desk, all I have is a nice view of a painted cinder block wall with a conduit attached to it.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.