Distractions

The number of distractions in life is absurd. I am bombarded by a lot of them by no choice of my own. However, I make the intentional choice, and go to varied amounts of effort, to add a lot of them to my life as well.

-When will the new season of my favorite show be on Netflix so I can binge watch all of it in a week?
-Of all the shows, why did they choose to bring back Full House and how can the new season of 24 not include Jack Bauer?
-How realistic can I make the Powerpuff version of me look like? (seriously though, you should try this if you haven't already)
-Should I spend less time watching TV, and more time reading books?
-If so, which book should I read?

-What are all of my social media friends up to?
-Do I really care what people I haven't seen in years are up to?
 Why did I just spend hours spectating on their lives instead of finding something to do in my own life?
-How many likes or hearts or whatever did my most recent post have?
-Why doesn't it have more?

-What ice cream flavor should I buy?
-What brand?
-What size?
-How can I ever eat healthier when Chocolate Brownie Thunder ice cream is so freaking delicious?

-Is that viral video a hoax?
-Is it some sort of advertisement that I am willing taking in that is going to alter my subconscious consumer tendencies?

-What crazy thing did that actor/politician/athlete do or say?
-Why do we care so much?

There are a lot of things I want to and should care about. I want to a better job of tuning out the noise, so I can focus in on what is truly important.

Any ideas on how? 

Unplug

Without being plugged in to recharge, our beloved cellphones run out of juice. I feel like we humans are the exact opposite. We occasionally need to unplug in order to recharge. Conveniently, this chance to unplug coincided with being on a vacation at a mountain lodge where I didn't have great reception. I decided to unplug, and spent the weekend recharging.

I like being connected and informed, but noticed I felt more relaxed not constantly checking my phone for any potential updates. I'm not even quite sure what I am constantly checking for in the first place. It was refreshing. It was needed. I hunger for something my feed doesn't provide. I can choose to get my substance from other sources, starting with the people around me.

Let's unplug more.

*I did use my phone to take this picture of
my mountain adventure... deal with it.

(That said, I did forget to charge my phone upon returning to civilization. My phone died in the night causing me to oversleep my alarm by several hours which basically added a half day to my vacation. This unplanned sleeping bonus did help me feel very rested when I returned to the daily grind.)

Perspective, Yo

The daily grind is tiresome. The steady wear leaves me lacking. It's the importance of unimportant things at work. It's the alarm clock and time clock. It's the emails to read and write. It's drama and doldrums. Everything is a crisis and needs immediate attention. It's all quite tiresome. Looking with a broader lens, it is so trivial what we let be of importance sometimes. Let's try to keep a little perspective.

On a much more positive note, this weekend I am getting a break from the grind with my girlfriend and her family on a much needed vacation to a mountain resort. Saying I am stoked would be quite the understatement!