It’s Not OK

I titled this post and left it in my drafts folder for weeks, unable to decide what specifically “wasn’t ok”.

I am an opponent of writing when one is not inclined to write. I have read and heard many different opinions, ranging from the “suck it up and get it done” attitude, to the “write anything until your writing doesn’t suck” idea, to the “write only under perfect conditions” philosophy. I find myself believing something in the middle, with a slight tendancy towards the latter.

I have several quirks that dictate when I do my best (or any) writing. I typically cannot focus on any topic that has been offered to me by a peer, despite how good I think the idea might be. I also cannot focus when my direct surrounding are in disarray, and will spend precious writing time cleaning or organizing instead. I prefer to write after the sun goes down, while listening to non-lyrical music, in a comfortable location. All of these things must find a kind of equilibrium, otherwise I find myself mentally swimming to unrelated shores.

Recently, due to a hectic work schedule, I have found myself in a writing slump. A few decent ideas have popped into my head, but the drive to actually formulate them into a cohesive narrative has been uncharacteristically absent. Periods like this tend to happen in waves, and, knowing myself, it will almost certainly dissipate by the time we have days above 40 degrees again.

So instead of mustering all of my willpower to put together a post that I won’t be happy with, I’ve decided to say, “It’s not ok” and leave it at that. The inspiration will come back, the muse will move back in, my brain will be banging on all cylinders again in no time. Until then, here is a list of the ideas I’ve had that I did nothing with, all in the vein of “it’s not ok”:

-It’s not ok to send an email with no salutation or closing, in all caps, regarding something professional
-It’s not ok to have a side conversation in a different language than the main language being spoken in a meeting, in the middle of said meeting
-It’s not ok to cause a huge traffic backup because the sun is too bright and you can’t figure out how to work your visor or sunglasses
-It’s not ok to use speaker phone while sitting at your desk to attend a meeting that is literally steps away from you
-It’s not ok for one person to order 6 or more burritos at Chipotle
-It’s not ok spell a person’s name incorrectly when their full name is clearly visible in the email you’re responding to
-It’s not ok to steal $3 egg timers from the physical therapy office
-It’s not ok to interchangeably use “it’s” and “its” like there is no difference between them
-It’s not ok to say “I don’t know” in regards to something you are definitely paid to know

From my sister:

-It’s not ok to send a zip file within a zip file within a zip file