What Women Know About . . .Having your own space.

I used to believe that the kitchen was the heart of my home and loved the fact that my computer and my writing desk was parked in the kitchen, where I cooked, listened to the radio and where my daughters sat at the table doing their homework. As my writing grew I really needed to have a study in the house, but as we only have one spare bedroom for guests and so I didn't feel I could justify taking it over as a study. So for years I crunched myself into the corner by the range, surrounded by paperwork. I became unhappy. I wanted to move house. I started fighting with my husband because he didn't want to move. For three years, I fought with my husband because he loves our house and I didn't.
Virginia Woolf wrote a wonderful essay called A Room Of Ones' Own in which she says that the reason women haven't been able to become great artists, composers, writers is because we never have a room of our own in our own houses (unless we are wealthy enough.) Anyway, last month, I made a big decision. I've converted our guest room. The bed's gone. The guests will have to stay elsewhere. . . but for the first time in my life I've now got a Room Of One's Own.
I love my room. It's my favourite place in the house. It's tiny, it over looks the street and it's just got my desk and chair and a few shelves. Nothing much. But I haven't fought with my husband since. I feel happy here. I feel calm and I feel like working. And I like my house again too.
Virginia Woolf's right. Guests don't matter as much as we think they do. Every woman needs A Room Of One's Own.