SQUIRREL!!!

It's interesting to me how much less my inspiration and motivation are to write when I am back in the valley.  I'm confident I've pinpointed the reason as well.  Distraction.  There is too much going on here to truly sit down and think with a clear mind.  To not only listen, but to truly hear.

Even sitting on the couch this evening with the volume off on the TV, the TV was still turned on.  Why do I feel the need to have something in the background?  Is it just a comfort zone for me?  As much as I may like the stillness and quiet of an evening in the cabin, is it just human nature to be drawn to distraction, like the trained dog inevitably gravitates to the.........SQUIRREL!  Even sitting on the couch, my wife is attempting to convince me that it's easier to write or put my thoughts together with background noise.

So here I sit, alone and in the quiet.  In fact, the only sound I can vaguely make out is the air gently moving through the register, from the furnace, in our bedroom.  So here it is, a question.  How do you truly drown out distraction?  I'm not just writing this post for my own health or because I secretly have a passion for typing.  Think about it.  How do you truly focus?  You see, it takes less work when you take the opportunity to step away.  Add kids, the phone, television, a knock at the door, the cat and it's just not that easy to drown everything out.

Just make yourself the promise that you won't quit.  Challenge yourself, discover daily, that there is a place for you free of distraction.  Maybe on a stool in the tasting room at Payette Brewing Company, with a pint of Chubby SQUIRREL!

Cheers