We usually think of distractions as negative interruptions in our lives. On the contrary, distractions are more than just loud noises and other irritations. Distractions are actually anything that may take our attention away from what our current purpose or project is. A distraction can be a very positive thing as well as a negative thing. A positive distraction can be a welcome relief, such as when my wife brings me a dish of ice cream in the middle of a project. Yes, it took me away from my concentration on the project at hand and was thus a distraction but, for ice cream my project can wait. There are situations where distractions of any kind can be life threatening, where a person’s total concentration is tantamount to their survival. A tightrope walker would hardly appreciate a small plane buzzing him back and forth at a very close range. A cliff climber wouldn’t appreciate coming face to face with a rattlesnake sunning itself on a ledge he was about to grab onto for support. The following story was meant as a joke, but in today’s world, it is quite plausible. “Driving to town this morning on the Interstate, I looked over to my left, and there was a woman in a brand new mustang, doing over 65 miles per hour with her face up next to her mirror putting on her eyeliner! I looked away for a couple of seconds, and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on that danged makeup!! It scared me so bad I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my other hand. In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, I knocked my cell phone away from my ear, which fell into my coffee between my legs and disconnected a very important call!!! Dang women drivers!” Life threatening distractions? Yes! In that story they were self imposed ‘life threatening distractions.’
Most distractions are not life threatening, of course, but some projects are important enough that isolation from distraction is warranted. I can remember preparing for my ‘dissertation defense’ at the University of Utah in 1972. I was to come before five ‘distinguished’ professors to answer their queries regarding my recently completed dissertation. Years of class work, papers galore, and thousands of hours studying and research was on the line. Had they rejected my dissertation, I would have been set back at least another year. I isolated myself in my office from the end of my work day until 12:00 or 1:00 a.m. every weekend. I studied to prepare myself for that defense in order to finish what could be the only thing between me and the completion of that degree. I was successful in avoiding too many distractions. I passed!
Generally, in life, distractions are the rule, not the exception. There is a story about a housewife who, feeling tired, told her husband that she was going to turn in for the night. On her way, she stopped in the kitchen to make sure items needing refrigeration were put in the refrigerator. While there, she cleaned off the table and put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. She noticed the day’s mail sitting on the counter. She decided that she better review it, and she found a bill that was late and needed to be paid. She wrote out a check and got it ready for tomorrow to stick in the mailbox. On the way to the stairs leading to her bedroom, she stepped on a toy and decided that she better pick them all up to avoid someone getting hurt. On the way up the stairs, she noticed several of the children’s dirty clothes dropped off on their way to bed. It reminded her that her seven year old did not have a clean, ironed shirt ready for tomorrow. So she went back downstairs to the laundry room and ironed a shirt. As she was walking back through the recreation room, she noticed several plants that had not been watered for several days and were very wilted; she decided that she better get some water from the kitchen and give them a drink. While getting the water, she saw a note on the kitchen bulletin board reminding her that her ninth grade daughter needed a note giving her permission to go on a class field trip to the museum the next day. So, she stopped and wrote a note so that she wouldn’t forget it by morning. When she got to bed, her husband, who was going to stay up and catch the news was already in bed, fast asleep, with his mouth wide open snoring up a storm.
Even though each of the things the woman did on her way to bed were distractions, yet they were things in her life that she did every day. A similar story could be told about a father being distracted by this and that while working in the yard. The planned project may have taken only an hour, but by adding the ‘distractions,’ he was busy all afternoon. Thus distractions, are sometimes the rule, not the exception. Life is full of distractions for us all and that maybe what makes life so interesting and challenging. God bless us to be ready for whatever distractions life hands us. Whether for good or ill, they will provide experience that will make us grow and be stronger.