Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about focus.
I am easily distracted, drawn “offsides” by a variety of diversions. These take many forms, from the birds I see out the front window, to the dog’s antics, to a random fleeting thought. My husband often marvels at the number of times I switch topics in a typical Sunday morning drive to church.
Sometimes distractions are beneficial. Birds remind me of a Creator who sees when one of them falls and cares as much about my concerns. The dog insists that I take time to go for a walk and have some fun. Even random thoughts offer a break from subjects on which we have already spent far too much time.
Nonetheless, most of my scattered thoughts result from a deluge of information overload. Our news feeds and social media sites wait at our fingertips, clamoring for attention. Sadly, I spend more time than I care to admit in the rabbit hole known as the information superhighway.
I recently participated in a Senior class trivia night at my hometown high school. I learned a few things over ten rounds of eight questions on a variety of subjects (who knew Abraham Lincoln was once a wrestler?). Still, most of the information rattling around my brain wasn’t much help to my team. Although I forgot most of the “fun facts” on the walk from the gymnasium to the car, I enjoyed a memorable evening. My delicious meal of fish and homemade fries was as good as any I’ve eaten in a restaurant. A cadre of home cooks contributed their best delicacies for auction. Most significantly, I spent time in the company of family and friends. For one enchanted evening, a community focused on supporting their kids. No one cared that we couldn’t remember which Disney princess was the youngest.
Save for an empty feeder, the birds and the dog don’t realize what they don’t have. Theirs is a simple life, uncluttered by immediate access to a universe of information. Unchecked, what seems to their human observers to be a blessing can quickly become a curse.
I especially want to focus most on that which is true, honest, noble, pure, and lovely. I realize life includes moments and events that are none of those things. Still, I believe my best life depends on what captures and keeps my attention. The more I focus on what is in my glass, the less likely I am to notice what is not.
Focus… a good word for me to remember.
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