Stop the presses.

There is a fly on the inside of my window sill that is buzzing non-stop.

Save for this buzzing, I’m practically enveloped in total silence.

I know quiet, distraction-free spaces are supposed to be optimal for writing.

What if you have a buzzing housefly to contend with?

In my current predicament, the poor thing has grown somewhat fatigued. The intervals at which it flies around the window panes and buzzes grow more irregular and with less overall gusto, too.

Was there ever a day like today exemplifying the content struggles with which we writers all invariably face at one time or another?

I thank the powers that bee buzzing, for small distractions joining other relatively minor focus killers such as neighbor dogs embarking upon their summertime choruses of Jingle Bells.

By contrast, how come my dogs sleep much of the day away?

Is it a sign that napping and sleeping are keys to a happy existence?

Does it matter if it’s never quiet for long practically anywhere? Does it even have to be or am I the only one who recalls long periods of silence lasting more than five minutes during past years?

Would anyone else actually not write as much because it isn’t completely silent more of the time?

I would suggest normally innocuous sounds such as the air conditioning coming on and off or water running through pipes should take the place of buzzing house flies as prime attention annihilators.

But they don’t.

So, how can you really still your mind and be one with your keyboard and monitor when you cannot focus for any length of time?

Perhaps it is not possible. We just might not be meant to be one with anything, let alone technology.

Peaceful, quiet surroundings are more conducive to sleeping than they are to writing.

Just look at my dogs if you need proof.

We, humans, are pretty messed up. We can neither write nor sleep when it’s quiet. To sleep, we need white noise.

This is another example of how evolution is moving our physical states in the wrong direction. We need therapy of one kind or another to offset and help deal with all the excess environmental stimuli in our lives.

I’m blocking the buzzing of the house fly out now effectively save for the brief intervals when I feel compelled to retrieve the fly swatter and put it out of its misery.

Talk about existence. The fly is only doing what its DNA dictates.

We humans should at least be taking long naps after lunch.

Sure, I won’t get much writing done taking a siesta, but I’ll probably feel better overall having done it, even if it is with the aid of white noise.

I think we could altogether lose the word disgruntled from the dictionary if we all just received regular, adequate sleep.

If we were all largely not disgruntled, the world would be a better place.

Flies would not bother us as much.

We wouldn’t consider wearing earplugs inside ever again. We would, however, wear them when weed-whacking outside.

Quality content on the worldwide web would also no longer be in short supply.

So spread the word and start the presses again.

And finally, just say no to white noise.