Sunday Sharies 07.10.22

A QUOTE

“If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.”

— John Cage, American composer and amateur mycologist

 

A QUESTION

What are you distracting yourself from addressing?


A THOUGHT

I recently waited in a 17-person line at Starbucks. Desperate, I know. To pass the time I decided to notice how others did so. 

Our caffeine conga proceeded in a single file through the shelves of impulse products. Coffee mugs donning 'Denver' to commemorate the joyous occasion of an airport layover, neatly packaged half-sandwiches that came with a generous side of 4 grapes and a slice of cheese. I watched 16 people before me, then another 20 as the line grew behind me, all in the exact same posture: holding phones, hunched over, shuffling through.

And if it weren't for the little challenge I'd set for myself (to look out instead of down) I would've been doing the exact same.

It’s hard for us to be still. Not literally, but digitally. We unlock our Home Screen as an anxious tick because we’re conditioned to use our tiny computers at every possible moment. It feels wasteful to do nothing when you have access to everything.

A dare: get bored. The next time you're in a line or on a walk, don’t allow yourself the convenience of distraction. Just notice whatever you notice without an effort to stay focused on any specific object.

You might even find yourself enjoying the screenless entertainment.