“Get off the floor! We have furniture. You’re not a dog,” my mother would bark.
“Leave him alone. We like the floor. Come on, son, let’s go read,” my dad would bark back, just before plopping down on the ugly-but-plush brown carpet of my childhood living room. He had already had his book, so I would join him after grabbing my latest find from the library.
For some reason, my mother hated that we loved the floor. Sitting on it. Lying on it. Reading on it. Napping on it. Existing on it. The couch was right there, but we liked being on the floor. It kept us grounded. Or something.
I wonder what my mom would say if she saw me this morning: not only am I sitting way too close to my 55-inch TV, but I’m typing/writing from the floor of my studio apartment’s living room.
The loveseat is comfy. The desk is right there. But the floor is where I want to be today.
And thanks to Apple’s AirPlay, I can wirelessly cast my laptop to the big screen. At this distance, it’s basically like writing on an IMAX screen. And I am not mad about it.
I only realized (or remembered) I could do this yesterday, so forgive me if I’m a little overly excited about such a small, nerdy luxury.
There’s something about writing on the floor that feels deeply right to me today. It’s one of my favorite ways to write—right up there with coffee shops and libraries, which, living in LA, is admittedly a bit of a cliché.
The floor just hits differently. It feels informal. Unpretentious. Maybe that’s why it feels like getting back to my roots. Back to being a kid who just wanted to read next to his dad. Back to a time when the living room floor was a comfy and safe place to simply exist, imagine, and escape into stories.
Probably because my mom hated it so much, there’s something quietly rebellious about still choosing the floor as an adult. It’s practical and impractical at the same time. While I know there are better options, the floor feels most natural. The floor’s where I feel most myself.
So here I am, sitting too close to the TV, typing away like an excited child who’s had too much Mountain Dew, smiling at the thought of how much my mother would have disapproved and how much my dad would have approved.
Hell, my dad would have joined me on the floor, book in hand, no questions asked.
Maybe that is the real reason I love being on the floor so much. Not for the big screen or comfy carpet, but for the quiet feeling of being loved and understood just as I am. And always have been.
Keep calm and remember on!
Clint 🌈✌️
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES!
Today marks COLLIDE PRESS’s second Substack anniversary, which feels both wild and wonderful. It’s been two years of writing, reflecting, oversharing, and connecting.
I’m so grateful for this little corner of the internet. And for all of you who make it feel like home.
So let’s take a trip back in time to my very first post on Substack, from when I had a few dozen subscribers and was focused on making art and merch with some friends and fellow creatives:
COLLIDE PRESS is a reader-supported publication.
Please consider becoming a Paid Subscriber or Patron.
ICYMI = IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
01-24 = Edith Emerson (1888-1981) = American artist, writer, and curator 🌈
01-24 = Frederick the Great (1712-1786) = Prussian king and military leader 🌈
01-24 = Hadrian (76-138) = Roman emperor 🌈
MAN CRUSH OF THE DAY
“I’m lucky. Hard work is the key, but luck plays a part.”
Neil Diamond
Happy Birthday Collide Press. Clint, I understand your love of floor (LOF). Same for me but at 80 I can no longer get down there. Or if I could, would need someone to help me back up 😀. There were a number of "barks" my parents would send my way. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS! DON"T SIT IN THE REFRIGERATOR! DON'T LEAN ON THE DINNER TABLE WITH YOUR ELBOWS. I guess it is the job of parents to BARK! Now as an adult, I leave all the lights in my condo on when I am here. I like it to be bright! I will literally sit on the mail support between the freezer and refrigerator. And when I do so, my heart fills with love for memories of my parents. Wish I could get one more hug! Fondly, Michael
I did a lot of reading and listening to records (ancient tech) on the floor. Just lots of stuff. I didn't get grief or support for it like you did, but I can relate to what you're saying. And in the Navy there often weren't chairs (those that we had were uncomfortable), so leisure time was spent on our racks (beds) or the floor. Sofas were not generally made for the reading comfort of extra large and long guys, back in the day. I once had a wicker chaise longue that was pretty fine, though.