Spent some time yesterday chatting in text with a friend of mine. We were talking about the … hmmm … art / talent / tactic / opportunity of being distracted.

Some might say it’s a mental illness – not being able to focus.
Some might say it’s a tactic to procrastinate.
Some might say it’s a talent to appear blameless in terms of failure to complete work but…

I think that distraction is a gift.

(hears… “what?” “come on!” “as if….!”)

Yes, I think it’s a gift – I think that often in life the things we set out to do are not the important things to do afterall.

We create a to do list as long as our arm… and even more.

We chase a goal… the carrot on a line that is towed before us (just out of reach, by the way)

We run and run and run and run

Then, all of a sudden, if we are lucky enough, there is a butterfly… oooooh…. it’s so pretty, look at the wings, look at the antennae, look at the way it flutters and then [insert screech-to-a-halt sound effect] somewhere (or by someone) we are reminder of the task we had been sent out to do.

But here is a scenario.

The focused person is outside trying to complete some yard work. It is yard work collection week. It’s important. So this person is congratulated for getting the job done as quickly as possible.

The distracted person, lacking focus, is inclined to also try and clean the garage in an effort to find the rake; is inclined to say hello to a stranger who passes by. But what is important in this chaos of moments? The “unfocused” person made a new friend, found an old pair of mittens and also recovered the rake at long last… ya, the garden still needs work but now there is a new person in their life.

Maybe the distracted person will make a positive change in the stranger’s life or maybe the stranger’s path makes them an important person to know (even it will take decades for that to be known).

In case you are wondering, the next time you are out running errands try to squint your eyes, unfocus your vision, and see what really becomes important in that moment. Wait and see who you will see when you are lacking focus. 😉

Be well.

Jen