The Phone, the phone, the phone.
One thing I would like to cultivate is a better attention span. Years ago when I was in grad school I read a few books (which of course made me an expert) on how technology changes our brain. The evidence is alarming, if not scary. I’ve felt the change. I can not focus nearly as well as I once could. Somewhere else on this blog I talk about wanting to practice longer-form writing. The same is true for reading. I can’t seem to digest more than a few pages or a short internet article without needing a break, without checking social media, without….
Tonight I feel both restless and tired. I struggled to come up with a topic for writing, and as I contemplated a night off, began to beat myself up over not sticking to it…. Not sure that getting meta about not having anything to write counts much for writing. Nevertheless, I sat down to write. At one point I was thinking of writing about lemonade – not the drink, but the life handing me lemons type of discourse.
Before I could really get anywhere on the topic, I checked social media and re-read an article on love by Brad Stulberg. It was a good one, it spoke to some of my beliefs about love – mainly that it is worth pursuing above all else, that it is good for our health, that it requires work and cultivation, that it is the key to happiness, that it is unwavering, that it requires your utmost attention and care….
And just like that, I’ve strayed from my subject – distraction. Perhaps I should call it a night.