Time Out

Today, I have been led astray.

It is so rare that I give something or someone my undivided attention.

I turn on the computer in order to do work, yet I can't help but get distracted by this or that. How many tabs do you have open at the moment? I'll just briefly check this, while I wait for this page to load. Of course, that's counter-intuitive because the more pages I have loading, the slower each one will run. It doesn't require much incentive to quickly flick away for an instant, just for a 'break' only to find you've spent ten, fifteen, sixty minutes longer than intended.

Again, back to the hidden secrets of textual activity and internetworking. It's quite plausible to have moments where one is simultaneously texting three different people, whilst instant messaging another. No individual recipient need know about the others and the thing is, with technology these days, no-one actually expects you to devote all of your concentration to one task. You were working, but you had your phone on you, didn't you? Well, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm obliged to respond straight away. If I did that with everyone, replied instantly as soon as I received the message, it's quite possible I would never get anything done. Indeed, more often than not, that is the case.

(Incidentally, in writing this entry, I've turned away twice already to reply to a text. Point proven, eh?)

So, it's good you know, to be with someone, face to face and to be able to focus solely on that conversation with that person. It would be rude to get your phone out, those texts can wait. If it was urgent, people would call - I've heard that remains an option, even in these modern times. When there's two of you sitting in the car, or going for a walk, there's not much else to give attention to than each other. Sometimes I don't feel there's enough of a chance to do that, you know, just take some time out to talk. There's always something you should be doing, or even if there's not, television and computers provide enough entertainment to not be concerned with trivial confab. You don't have to have deep and lengthy discussions, of course, silence can be just as welcoming, but it's a relief to know that you can have a chat without diversion, not to be constantly flipping between different focuses and settle on a subject that could lead to interesting discoveries about a person, a history, or an opinion that you might not have realised had you not chosen to give the undivided attention that everyone deserves, sometimes.

You tell anyone who'll listen but you feel ignored
Nothing's really making any sense at all
Let's talk.

On the jukebox: Sondre Lerche ~ Sleep On Needles