it related directly to the notion of the makom kavua, of one's set place.it reminded me of sitting next to my fathern synagogue, how we sat in the same seats, of the same row, every week, in front of the little brass tags with our last name engraved on them. i'd ought that reserved spac for my father was about respect. i'd thought it was about honor. but it was more about engaging with worship-or writing-from a fixed place. because it's the combination of two elements, the daily rituals and the physical routines, that i am convinced are key to whatever kind of transcendence it is you're after. whether you race to a 6:00 a.m. yoga classor morning mass, whether you need the window seat in your own coffee shop, or youh s kicked off so you can better feel the floor under you feet, providat kind of continuity for the body, is the best way to free up the mind. for the writer, it helps you build up a kind of creative reflex, so that the synapses fire off, and the images come. and fromhere, all you need to do is t back and watch your fingers fly. >> woodruff: natha