Quawkle

I am not even sure if it is a real issue or not but we seem to be bombarded more every day with distractions from media, internet, print, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. I am checking Facebook, while Twittering, on my way to sit down and write a post to my blog. All of this while waiting on for a process to complete on a project I am doing for work. This happens with the stereo (excuse me, wireless digital audio player) playing songs and the T.V. blaring in the next room. STOP!!

I think I need a break from all things sensory. Perhaps that is why my favorite time of the day is early morning. The house is quiet. The hallways are dark. Every move you make and every step you take (sorry, Sting) seems like it is at the decibel level of a jet airliner taking off. Each one of your senses is alert – well maybe after the first cup of coffee – and you are mentally ready to take on life with your full attention!

That is why my best reading always comes early in the morning. The distractions are absent. She (and we all know who she is!) chooses to do her quality reading right before going to sleep. When I try that, I end up with bruises on my face – particularly when reading hardcover books. I can barely finish a chapter before falling sleep. Not true in the early morning. I love reading early and taking those thoughts with me throughout the day. It makes for a much more comprehensive read for me too. Last Sunday afternoon, when I probably should have been napping, I tried to read a chapter in a book. Twelve pages took more than twenty minutes to read; probably because I haven’t yet perfected the art of reading through my eyelids. Not only did it take me an eternity, I could barely recall what I read. What a waste of time!

That brings me back to my original thought. The internet age is great for us as a society. It brings information to us almost instantly. But how do we manage the hordes of data that our minds are inputting all day long? Are we becoming over-stimulated by the accumulation of information? Are we developing odd anxieties that we never experienced before? Good questions – I have no answers, only opinions.

I don’t plan to take the next exit off the “information super highway”, but I might occasionally move over to one of the right lanes and slow down to the posted speed limit.