Friday I'm in Flow

Lyrics

[Intro]
Friday afternoon, Mihaly's ghost whispers in the blue glow.

[Verse 1]
Here in this quiet home office on Elm Street,
3:30 PM, September 29, 2023,
the worn-out notebook lies open beside the half-empty coffee mug.
Its pages, filled with scribbles from that 1990 book you lent me,
Csikszentmihalyi's words curling like smoke.
I touch the frayed edges, feel the indentations from my pen.
You, notebook, you've seen me lose hours,
forgetting the rain tapping on the window.

[Chorus]
Friday I'm in flow,
keys clicking under my fingers, mechanical keyboard sticky from yesterday's spill.
Nothing else matters, just this immersion,
the granola bar crumbs scattering like forgotten thoughts.
Flow, you pull me under, Mihaly's optimal experience,
68 degrees Fahrenheit wrapping around me.
I'm so involved, the world fades to that flickering screen.

[Verse 2]
Remember that interview in Wired, 1996,
he said it's the state where enjoyment costs everything,
but I'd pay it again for this.
Notebook, you're my anchor, doodles of neural pulses,
like the ones in my mind now, sparking without effort.
The aroma of espresso mixes with rain scent,
laptop warmth under my palms, grounding me here.

[Bridge]
Little strange fact: artists forgetting to eat,
like me now, absorbed till the piece is done.
No hunger, no fatigue, just the sheer sake of it.
Mihaly, born 1934, you watched them paint for days.

[Verse 3]
In this cluttered desk chaos,
papers strewn, blue glow casting shadows,
I chase clear goals, immediate feedback in every line.
Notebook, you hold the gaps too,
those unnamed students from the 70s,
their flow states uncredited, like mine on this Friday.

[Chorus]
Friday I'm in flow,
keys clicking, granola forgotten,
nothing else seems to matter.
Flow, you thief of time, but oh, the joy.
68 degrees, rain scent, espresso lingering.
I'm so involved, even at great cost.

[Outro]
Notebook, we'll meet again next Friday,
in this flow, Mihaly's legacy alive.