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Sometimes I have to blog with the whole family around.

I look at it like a bunch of co-workers in an office setting who intend to get some work done but end up sacrificing their productivity for the chance to discuss the upcoming inter-league series between the Yankees and Cardinals in July.

Some people talk and some people gossip.

In my case of present healthy distractions, there is not one conversation to be had while I’m blogging this.

One dog looks up at me as if to ask, “What’s going on, Dad?” before continuing to pace as if she feels I need to stop doing what I’m doing immediately and tend to her loving.

The other is at my side laying down and occasionally breaks wind softly as he continues his transition to kibble from wet food.

The wife leaves the room without an announcement.

As I said above, no conversation at all.

Communication in the form of conversation is good.

So is chilling to the smooth swill that is typing as my quill (for this missive).

Occasionally the sounds of bone-chewing break the silence.

As does the steady snoring of the dawg at my side.

If success means having goals as to subject matter before beginning a new blog post instead of throwing down words randomly, I am an epic failure.

Or a success. It just depends on how you look at things.

I not so infamously incorrectly predicted the 49ers as winners in last week’s Superbowl but I don’t feel too bad about it as I’m presently enjoying the new blogging technique that’s sweeping the nation: putting your feet up while you type.

Brilliant.

There’s music playing in the background that adds to the healthy distractions.

The dogs occasionally switch positions with one jumping down and one up on the couch with me.

I finally come to believe that if distractions are healthy ones they may actually lead to increased productivity.

I guess it all just depends on what metrics you employ to establish whether or not productivity goals are attainable and actually something that should be shot for.

Something that should be shot for.

Grammarly says it flies for passable grammar so who am I to argue with that kind of AI?

Restlessness as detractor

The one thing that can disrupt a groove is restlessness.

Whether it’s one dog jumping up on the couch in between me and the other dog or the same dog then jumping off the couch less than a couple of minutes later, putting the laptop away and then reopening it once the other dog is back on the floor is nothing if not a dance of disruption.

Disruptions are different than distractions but they both can be productivity busters.

Sometimes just a certain one thing can be considered both disruption and distraction.

For example, the vitamins I took 15 minutes ago are repeating on me and making my stomach topsy-turvy feeling. This is an example of something being both a disruption and a distraction.

Is anything we do while just enjoying time as it passes a bad thing? Not at all. However, it’s really cool if you can do absolutely nothing, give in to the experience of time passage and just let it envelop you as it happens.

Afterward, you should proceed immediately to your computing device of choice and see if any tickets remain for that Cardinals-Yankees series.