Incomplete Thoughts on Completion

Have you ever noticed that things often become very difficult if you don’t have a deadline? Or a schedule? Or any self-discipline? Or a stack of imported Anime DVDs to watch with your wife? 

What has it been like eleventy months since I last blogged? Yeah, sure, I haven’t been active here in a while, but that’s not really what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a book, or – heck – how I approach projects in general. The closer I get to finishing, the more I find myself distracted, disengaged, and full of excuses. 

It’s like making a move in chess but keeping your finger on the piece. You’re pretty sure that moving your knight forward places the king in check and blocks retribution from the rook because your queen still has a bead on the crown. But what about that pawn, and that bishop, and that other pawn? Is this really the best possible move to make? I’ll just keep my finger here… maybe slide the piece back and forth between here and it’s starting position just to make sure I know what I’m doing. Meanwhile, I’m already thinking ahead to the next move, the next book, and trying to make sure that this play sets that one up properly, and the guy across the board from me has started playing Pokemon because he’s lost interest in the game. Ooh, Pokemon is fun. Maybe you should be playing that instead of chess.

Or maybe you’re decorating your Christmas tree with your family and you’ve got the tinsel spaced perfectly, the ornaments distributed nicely, the tinkerbell tree-topper looks great… everything’s working. Or so you’re told. You’re not so sure about the lights though… and that’s a pretty big deal. Plus, when you asked Steven about it, he was all wincing, and sucking in air through his teeth, and kind-of bobbly-headed with his response. Maybe you should just pull off a couple of layers and rebuild. But at least with Christmas décor you have a deadline. 

Right now, the last thing I want to do is rush, but eventually, if you sit there too long, you get hemorrhoids. And nobody wins with hemorrhoids… except maybe the company that makes Tucks.