Thankful Distractions

I was on Hwy 101 headed for a fabric store less than 15 minutes from my home. Speeding along I was struck by an arresting array of clouds overhead that looked like huge swipes from a broom recently dipped in acrylic white paint. I’ve got to take a picture of them! Marveling at their exceptional beauty, I was tempted to pull off to the side of the freeway to capture their amazingness. I thought better of it realizing they’d still be there when I got to my destination mere minutes away. And they were!

But the parking lot was crowded. As I maneuvered my way to a recently vacated space near the entrance, I momentarily forgot about the clouds. Only as I drove home about an hour later did I remember them, but they had long since dissipated. Distracted, I had messed up and missed out on a rare opportunity to capture a glorious atmospheric spectacle. (Above photo taken days later and not nearly as spectacular as "the one that got away.")

Distractions can nudge me toward private recalculations. They may cause me quiet humiliation for slipping up, for lapses of intent, for avoidable outcomes. Kicking myself to the curb I might indulge in self-scolding, useless remorse, or even compunction about a lost opportunity. It might take days to recover from such; sometimes it takes a lifetime. In my mind, that’s where distractions get their bad reputation.

Turning over the coin of understanding reveals distractions as opportunities. They can offer precious moments of refocusing, occasions for reflection, a chance to redirect one’s commitments. They are like mini, unplanned vacations from routine life. They can be an unexpected reprieve from distress, shoehorning joy into uncomfortable situations. Taking a deep breath in the juxtaposition between embarrassment and possible rescue I realize I have a choice. I can turn any experience into learning, or I can allow my human propensity to stumble to become a whipping post, one engraved with familiar denouncements.

I’m mostly thankful for distractions. They slip into my life like unsought ribbons of quickened consciousness. They deter me, bump me from mundane activities, steer me toward momentary exploration. Though sometimes costly, they never bankrupt my personal space. Rather, they often broaden my horizons. Like windswept clouds dissipating into a piercingly blue sky, I choose to allow these unbidden gifts of possibility to open my soul to newness, to freshness, to juicy creativity.

I may not have taken that photo in the parking lot as planned, but it is forever embedded in my memory. I don’t need to search my iCloud archives to find it. I can shut my eyes and allow my heart to soar in a celebration of recollection as vivid as a moment caught by a camera click.