Bryan at Mackncheeze

The Gospel According To Otis: One More Revision

“You’ve been staring at that screen for five minutes.”

“This isn’t my best work.”

Otis jumps onto my desk, sticking his whiskers into the screen.

“No kidding. I’ve watched you make coffee that wasn’t your best work. At least you’re consistent.”

“This isn’t working,” I kept staring at the screen.

Otis yawned, “Tell me something, Chicken Little. Does every piece have to be a masterpiece?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again.

“What is Brando remembered for?”

“The Godfather. On the Waterfront…”

“Every movie? And Miles Davis? Every note? What did he say? If you hit a wrong note, it’s the next note that you play that determines if it’s good or bad.”

I stared at the publish button without touching it.

“Your problem is that you’re judging today’s work against tomorrow’s reputation. If you had one.”

I turned toward him. He was already washing his paw.

“Stop staring at it. Finish it. Release it. Then go make the next one. You’re trying to decide where this belongs in your legacy before you’ve finished building one.”