Distractions

I sat in a café, drinking tea. No phone. No book. No newspaper. Just me, and tea. You know, like a psychopath. Everyone else was on their phone: the constantly moving waiter with incredible spatial awareness; the two friends sharing a bottle of pop; the lady sipping champagne; even the two walk-ins that strategically climbed into opposite corners of the café to obey COVID distance laws. A world of constant distraction. I chatted to some passing neighbours when Italian tennis player Fognini, apparently staying in the apartment block, whistled on by with his entourage. We wished him good luck, and clearly it worked as he trounced some witless Magoo three-zip. Should have kept my luck, wishing it away freely like that. Could have been a damned winning lottery ticket!

Those times without distraction seem so rare: when walking I generally listen to an audiobook or talk on the phone; when I go to the gym or go running, I’m listening to heavy music, grimacing and growling at myself to get a fu**ing move on, made much harder if a track skips from a raucous Alter Bridge number to James Blunt. More grimacing. Even when working I’ll often listen to music. Perhaps that’s why my quiet morning meditation is fast becoming one of my favourite things. Without television, radio, Netflix or video games (are they still called video games?), lockdowns are interesting affairs. I didn’t need another five-day lockdown leaping out of the blue, and nor, I imagine, did anyone else. Then again, how would I know? Maybe there’s an entire Netflix series on people hiding in houses, refusing to acknowledge reality, then voting in the Senate.

Before jumping into another job at the end of March, I’m enjoying the world of possibilities flitting through my little brain. I welcome suggestions! Rachael O’Meara book, Pause, mentioned a course on Emotional Intelligence for Transformational Leadership and Coaching. God know what it all means, but it sounds good. Another avenue may be writing a book on Leadership. I mean, Christ, I’ve worked in global corporations for twenty years, I’ve drank in over sixty books on philosophy, resilience and self-improvement, some of it must have sunk in. This thought, by the way, came on Friday, probably during that cup of tea. I don’t know what they put in that stuff, kerrist! This is why you should always distract yourself, no good ideas come from spending time thinking! Distractions, distractions, distractions, that’s the way to live!

Thank you for your love and kindness, happy valentine’s day to you. May your day be filled with  cheese! xx