Okay, Listen Here

Okay, Listen Here

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Out of Focus

I hope everyone had a good Independence Day weekend. I am always reminded of the joke, “Do they have the Fourth of July in England?” Of course, you know the answer is yes but it isn’t a holiday to them. You would be surprised at how many people say, “No.”

On to more important matters…. Over the weekend I lost a contact. For some, that might not be much of a problem but since I am practically blind without corrective lenses it was quite the problem for me. I was out of town and I had my glasses, but I hate them so much that I rarely wear them. In fact, my own nieces didn’t know that I owned glasses until a few weeks ago when I was “caught” wearing glasses early one morning while my mother was in the hospital. I feel so strongly about avoiding my glasses that I always carry a spare pair of contacts in my travel bag, and, indeed, I had containers for a spare pair. I hope you noted that carefully worded sentence--I had containers, but only one extra contact, the one I didn’t lose, and one extra contact CASE. That’s right. The contact that I needed was just an empty case. So at that point I began to experiment. Which was a better choice, one contact and nothing in the other eye or the left contact in both eyes? With two left contacts and no right I didn't have many options.

At the end of the experiments, I chose to wear a left lens in each eye. My focus was a bit bleary but better than the alternative. I spent the remainder of the weekend a little out of focus. On the way home yesterday, I thought about that. How did I stay focused, and how hard it is sometimes to stay focused on writing or writing related projects. We all have families, friends, and most of us have day jobs that pay the bills.

What do you do to stay focused on writing?

3 comments:

  1. Focus? What's that? Every time I sit down to write, someone or something interrupts me. Since I haven't been published no one thinks it's a real job so they don't think they're bothering me. Lately I have had to unplug the telephone, ignore e-mails, ignore the doorbell and simply ignore every one. They still manage to find me. My husband laughs and says I have a tattoo on my forehead "Please, please tell me your problems - I don't have anything else to do." I'm at my wit's end! I try to focus but life just seems to be getting in the way lately.

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  2. Focusing is hard, especially with bad headaches. Arrr!!!! I can't imagine doing it with two left contacts. :(

    Cheryl, I can relate to what you're describing. The same thing happens to me. In fact, the best way to have a conversation with my hubby is to open my laptop and APPEAR to be writing. (I say that in jest, of course.) There is just enough time to read or write one blasted word before conversation begins. Normally, I'm the type that wants to encourage communication, but p-l-e-a-s-e... If I was to do that to him while he was working on his laptop at home, I'd get the evil eye. LOL!

    Perhaps contorting the body into thinker's pose, while holding laptop, would help. ;)

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  3. Cheryl, I am sooo with you on this one!!
    Good luck with focusing today. I think one day at a time is the attitude that I have to embrace often.

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