I read a book on vacation. It was okay.
Likeable characters, beautiful setting, happily ever after. I can only remember one name. Not even the main one.
A few weeks later, a series based on the book came out on Amazon.
I haven’t watched it. I liked the book. It’s just sitting squarely in the “who the hell cares” category of my brain.
Looking back, there are dozens of other things I could have done with that time. Read a different book. Watched a movie. Crocheted a sweater (or at least a sleeve).
Instead, I found myself caught in the current of an okay book, with okay characters and an okay outcome.
Last Sunday morning, after a long day of travel, family commitment and other chores, my husband and I finished the last many episodes of a documentary about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Neither of us cheers for Tampa.
It was noon before I stepped outside.
We loved every minute of it.
I have a very healthy do nothing category. It’s in constant negotiation with the various do something categories.
Every day feels like a negotiation with my attention. There are books I want to read, podcasts people recommend, TV shows everyone is talking about, hobbies I want to pick up, work that matters, people I love, and a dog who always seems ready for another walk.
Every yes becomes a no to something else.
Without some degree of discernment, you end up living someone else’s agenda instead of your own.
“Who the hell cares?” may be one of the most useful filters for what deserves my attention. It may be an even better filter for what deserves yours.
Not everything I write will be for everyone.
Of course it won’t.
But before I sit down to put something out into the world, I will ask: what makes this worth sharing?
Because if I’m going to ask for a few minutes of your attention, I want to make sure I’ve earned them.
Discernment works both ways. In what we consume. And in what we create.
New to One Thing Thursdays?
Each week, I share something I’m learning, living, or working out in real time. It’s part storytelling, part reflection. I hope there’s something in it for you too.
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