Check What?

Yes, I am back with my mindless drivel about all things media. Why am I now dusting off the blog and attempting to reach back out to the cyberworld ? If you remember, I started this blog in an attempt to improve my writing. Through laziness, I fell off the wagon and never dared to approach this medium again. To be truthful, I felt like I had nothing to say. You know what. I don't have anything of value to say. Consequently, this blog will relate my view of how the world operates through my media tinted eyes. However, I am sure that it will not be a huge benefit to society. This is not a bad thing. My reason then and now was to improve my writing through the practice of writing (I know I tell my students all the time that it works that way but who would have thunk it). Consequently, the practice of writing is the goal and not to make something that will be treasured at Blog Nirvana (Is that in Seattle?). My goal is to present a blog every Saturday and hopefully I will improve or drive off all my readers. The possibilities are endless. Enough of a prologue to this great experiment, let's get cracking.

Cleaned the bathrooms - check. Groceries bought and put away - check. Comic books bought and read - check. Run a mile today - check. Sometimes, I feel my life has checklist after checklist. After I finish something there is no satisfaction, only knowledge of what must get done before the stress will leave my body. Along those lines, I have noticed the programs being designed to help all of us manage our lists and keep our lives checked off (Please no Star Trek jokes and if you do not know Star Trek then no nerd jokes ) . Stunning To Do List can even be found on my iTouch. Likewise, Outlook has the ability to help organize your lists. Even Franklin Planner has a whole industry devoted to the list business. It is their effort to make us ultra efficient so we can enjoy life and stay stress free. Ironically, the lists only help to stress me out as they grow longer and remain uncompleted.

While cleaning the bathroom today, I had a Sheapiphany. Do not confuse this with a epiphany which is the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something. A Sheapiphany is the altering of reality to conform meaning to the way of life that Shea feels at that moment. While scrubbing, I realized that cleaning the bathroom was not on my to do list for the day. Actually, I had not made one. However, the act of cleaning was a goal for the day. To me that distinction made all the difference in the world. I listened to the Avett Brothers on the iTouch while I enjoyed the hour long cleaning I gave the bathroom. There in the midst of the vinegar fumes a Sheapiphany occurred. I realized that the difference between a check on a "to do" list and a goal was enormous. Some would argue they are the same , mainly my wife, but I beg to differ.

Checks represent the stuff that is in the way of happiness. Instances where things interrupts life. However, a goal recognizes an accomplishment in life and is followed by celebration. Checks seem to get in the way of passion, while goals embrace passion. Now it does seem weird to be passionate about cleaning, but I wanted a clean house. Cleaning was no longer in the way of life but another goal in life. Once, I had read about Jewish rabbi who embraced mundane tasks as a way to pray to God. In these tasks, he worked to please God. With that goal during his tasks, he felt happiness during those endeavors. I will agree that making cleaning a goal every week is hard, but if I can then it will be more satisfying.

Before you quit reading, think on this. Checklists are created by obsessive compulsive (OCD) and anal retentive (AR) people in order to bring order to their world trying to contain the stress. Unfortunately, these people have transfered their habits into the collective sub-conscious of humanity. This makes us believe in the sacred need for lists to be productive. Color coded, tabbed, tagged, and labeled are their goals. Thus, driving the passion from these tasks and creating a negative aura around them. Checklists give me stress, and their completion just makes me let out a sigh of relief. No joy in it, just thankfulness for surviving. Items not done on checklists serve as failure, while goals not accomplished just means we try harder. If you are unable to see the difference between a goal and a check, then you might be OCD or AR. That is fine but don't drag me down.

The chief enabler of the checklist mentality is Bill Gates. His many products are made to delight the OCD and AR people. These products try to make their lives more productive, which allows time for more productivity. Nothing is wrong with productivity, but it is not what inspires me. I do not know anyone who said that checklist changed my life. On the other hand, goals are what help us to achieve and inspire us to do more.

I am a nonconformist slacker who is tired of an OCD world. I liken myself to Steve Jobs who goes for art. Allow the brain to breathe and create is what I say. Some would say that the iTouch ,a Jobs creation, is the ultimate OCD tool, but I would argue that it was not created to make your life more productive. It was created to enhance the iPod experience in media. Who knew it would be hijacked by OCDers for their nefarious uses. The iTouch remains the place for dreams.

One last thought, the term slacker is a misnomer on a certain type of individual. Anyone who does not ascribe to the checklist mantra is deemed a slacker and unproductive. While our productivity is not measured with checks, it is just as impressive. Break out of those chains and embrace the passion. I think if more people spent sometime in Slackerville then smiles might be more prevalent.

(Thanks for reading my latest blog. Take my insights as humorous musing from a contrarian. No offense is intended as OCD and AR people are some the best people I know and they sure do get stuff done. Stay tuned for something from my mind next Saturday. Oh by the way I was not careful with my indentions for paragraphs. I have no idea if they line up or not. I am such a rebel.)