The Thought Process: Math Homework

• I want to play Guitar Hero.
• But I really need to do this math homework.
• I will NOT play Guitar Hero until this math homework is done!
• I really need a pencil.
• *digs through backpack*
• What IS this? Why is it sticky....? How long has that been there....?
• Maybe I don't want to know.
• Focus. Pencil.
• *dig dig dig*
• AHA! Found one!
• Aw, man, it needs sharpening.
• *look at desk, where there SHOULD be a pencil sharpener, but it is too piled with stuff to see the sharpener*
• Hmm. It'll be easier to go sharpen it downstairs.
• *go downstairs to den to sharpen pencil*
• *have pointless convo with Lil Bro*
• *go back upstairs to bedroom*
• Hey, it's the cat! Hi, Grumpy girl!
• *pause to pet cat*
• *back to bedroom*
• Oh, yeah. Calculator. I need my calculator!
• Where IS my calculator, anyway?
• *begin to search room for calculator*
• Hmmm...it doesn't appear to be anywhere up here...I did just use it recently...
• *snaps fingers*
• It must be downstairs!
• *back downstairs*
• Oh, there it is! On the kitchen counter!
• Hmmm, while I'm here, I might as well get a drink.
• Chocolate milk would be good.
• *makes chocolate milk*
• *carries calculator & milk back up the stairs*
• *sit down on bed*
• *open math book*
• Now, let's see...uh oh, I didn't write down which assignments I'm supposed to do.
• I have to go online and check the assignment website.
• *opens computer*
• Oh, look! I have new emails!
• Email from (college) about an interview? Better respond to that.
• Oh...an email from Very Best Friend about directions for tomorrow...
• That reminds me: I need to Google directions for tomorrow anyway. Better do it now so I won't forget.
• *clicks "print" for directions*
• I'd better go check and see if they printed
• *goes downstairs in den to check for directions.*
• Yay, they printed!
• *back upstairs*
• Ok. Math. Focus. I was checking the assignment.
• *goes back to site*
• *writes down assignment*
• *IM pops up*
• It's L! I haven't talked to her in ages!
• *15 minute convo with L*
• Ok. No more distractions. Math needs to get done.
• Wow...it's amazing how many times I've been distracted.
• That would make a good blog post, I think.
• *writes blog post*
• Wow, is that the time? I really better get moving on this homework...
• *does three problems*
• I'm really tired....
• I have to get up early tomorrow....
• Maybe I should go to sleep now....
• I do have all weekend to do these problems...
• They're not due til Monday....
• That's plenty of time!
• Yeah, I'll do 'em later.
• *gets ready for bed*
• Hmmm. But I'm not really tired.
• Maybe I could play just one song on Guitar Hero.THEN I'll go to bed.
• *plays Guitar Hero until much too late*
• Ooops.
• *yawn*
• I really should have done that homework if I was going to stay up so late.
• Oh, well.
• There's always tomorrow.
• Or the day after.

It's 12:24am.

I have not had more than 5 hours of sleep per night all week.

I have not finished any of the homework that's due Monday.

I have not planned the Sunday School lesson I'm teaching tomorrow morning.

I have not written a decent lengthed email in days.

I have not written anything in days.

I have over 900 unread items in Google Reader and over 100 unread, non-spam emails to attend to.

I have eaten a ridiculous amount of Tastykakes today.

I have had a very packed, yet very wonderful weekend so far, and I expect tomorrow to be the most packed and most wonderful yet.

I have no cell phone for the third week running.

I have to be awake in a mere 5 hours.

Again.

I can practically feel my brain cells oozing out of my ears

Snowyness and icyness transformed my busy weekend into a form of house arrest. Even church was cancelled this morning! I'm sorry to say that I spent the morning sleeping in, being lazy, and playing an absolutely ridiculous amount of Whack-A-Penguin (high score: 322.9. Unfortunately, Lil Bro's was 331, and that drives me MAD!) and The Game Called Bob (high score: 1980. YEAH!).

Goal for the afternoon is to do something slightly more mentally stimulating.

Ideas?

Reasons for my current state of..... *happy sigh*

Ahhhhhhh, it's days like today that make me think summer might actually be worth keeping. I mean, don't get me wrong; when I'm Dictator-of-the-World someday we certainly won't have three months of this revolting heat, laziness, and related misery, but maybe I'll allow a week or two. Maybe.

Current Reasons I'm at Peace with the Season of Summer:

-- Staying up freakishly late (I think it was 2am before I went to bed last night?) to work off a caffeine high and sleeping in the next morning without feeling guilty

-- Going to the library and finding that I have time to just hang out and chat with people instead of rushing off to somewhere else

-- Time to go for a run

-- Milkshakes (yeah, so that sort of negates the whole purpose of running, but whatever)

-- Swimming

-- Playing my guitar out on the patio as a breeze danced around me

-- Bare feet (I mean, sure, I've tried going barefoot in the winter, but it's rather painful; hypothermia and frostbite and all that)

-- Having the windows open


A very lovely day, all in all. And a very productive one as well! In addition to all of the above I also ran errands, unpacked from camp last week, started a load of laundry, scheduled a college campus visit, and sort of cleaned my room. Yahoo!

P.S. AP Psychology score came today -- I got a five. The perfectionist in me is finally satisfied.

*happy sigh*

The Flies of Life

Well.

I've learned a very important lesson. Do not, under ANY circumstance, assume that your kitten can ignore a fly. I'm sure you're all going, "huh??". It's a valuable lesson, though, mark my words.

Take last night, for instance. My dear probably-about-4-months-old kitten was "sleeping" (theoretically) in my room. It was dark, I was tired, we were both curled up in bed and I was positively thrilled at the fact that it was finally time for sleep. Sleep is good :)

But, lo and behold, a fly made its entrance. How? Couldn't tell ya. Seeing as we've had a three inch layer of ice on the ground and every other imaginable surface for the last few weeks, I had naively assumed that meant most living creatures were either hibernating or..well...not so living. Apparently I was wrong. How did the fly get in to MY room? Also no clue. In the summer, they're everywhere, but that's because I have my window open all the time...but I assure you, my window hasn't been open for months now.

The point, though, is that somehow, this tiny little fly got in. Keep in mind the size of a fly, OK? Tiny little beasts, really. In the grand scheme of things, they really don't take up that much room or space or thoughts.And yet, I found out that this one, tiny fly had unimaginable power. It's all because of this insect that I didn't get any sleep last night. My kitten, Littlest, apparently decided it was her new life's goal (aside from killing all the house plants and eating all the candles, that is) to catch this fly. Kitty on a mission, I'm tellin' ya. So, she spent THE ENTIRE NIGHT (no exaggeration. Really.) leaping, clawing, meowing, pouncing, jumping, hissing, and desperatly trying to catch this thing.

Not sleeping, which is, believe it or not, what you're supposed to do at night. No -- she was too distracted by this fly to do anything important like, say, sleep.

Needless to say, NONE of us got ANY sleep. The fly was busy buzzing around, finding new hiding places, and taunting the cat (I'm sure I heard it giggling at one point, saying, "Nah nah nah nah naaaah! I'm way up here and you're stuck down the-ere!"). The cat, of course, was consumed by her obsessive desire to catch this pest, and I was stuck listening to them both and praying that all the crashing sounds were nothing breakable. (As it is, I don't think anything major broke, but my room is rather messy at present, and it's kind of hard to tell what was knocked on the floor and what was already there...)

My point? From all of this, we can learn a lesson:

Sometimes the tiniest, most trivial things can distract us from what's really important. Just like Littlest, who allowed this tiny, inconsequential bug to so completely distract her that she missed out on something vital to her health -- sleep -- we, too, are guilty of this.

Ever allowed yourself to worry about something to the point where you tune out what a friend is saying? How about procrastinating? (THAT'S ME!!! But that's really a topic for another post)
Ever forget to pray because you were too busy?Ever skip church because something else felt more important?

See what I mean? It's a dangerous thing -- physically, emotionally, and spiritually -- to let things distract you so much. You will miss out on SO MUCH in life!

Especially around Christmas, there are SO MANY distractions that can get in the way of celebrating our Savior's birth. In the mad rush to buy presents, host parties, pack suitcases, send Christmas cards and hang lights, it's so easy to forget WHY we are celebrating.

So...why do we have distractions, then?Well, here's some food for thought -- what if God gives us distractions so we can learn to be more focused? Think about it -- every time you're faced with a distraction, you're also blessed with the opportunity to become a more focused, determined person. That's pretty cool! We humans have the amazing ability to learn and define our skils. It's pretty exciting! And when we are blessed with opportunities to do so, well, the possibilties are endless! (Cats are apparently the exception to this rule -- they don't seem particularly interested in becoming more focused. Phooey.)

Ok..well...how do we become more focused?

First, figure out what is most distracting you right now...allow your mind to wander for a moment. What does it settle on? A worry? Something you're excited about? An upcoming event? Something you're afraid of? That funny joke your best friend told you? That mean insult you accidentally overheard? Recognizing your distraction is the first step!

Next -- let it go. Scary thought, I know, but let go of all your distractions. Give it all up to God -- whether it is praise or frustration, worry or joy, pain or excitement -- He can handle it. Better yet, He can help you through it.

Then -- once you've cleared your mind and heart, focus on what IS really important. Maybe that's reading the Bible. Maybe it's spending more time in prayer. Maybe it's volunteering somewhere. Maybe it's telling your friends and family how much you care about them.

Whatever it is, make a conscious effort to focus on that.It's not easy to stay focused, and from time to time, everyone loses sight of the important things in life. It's essential, though, to step back every so often and think -- am I distracted? What's distracting me? How can I be more focused?

Hopefully you will be able to let go of all your little "flies" and focus more on the important stuff :)