I’m finding it hard to care about what’s happening in the world at the moment. Not that I’m not interested about world events in my usual fashion, but I’m a three-hour drive from Portland in Central Oregon…and my brain feels as if it’s in neutral. I suspect the war, famine, and pestilence continues unabated regardless of whether or not I’m cognizant of them, but I’m rediscovering the joys of disconnecting and remembering that knowing about the ills of the world isn’t always a good thing. Ignorance of them isn’t necessarily a good thing, either, but I can’t solve the world’s problems from here, so I’m not going to worry about them. For now.
I’d wax rhapsodic about the joys of unplugging…as I sit here in front of my laptop…but all I have to do is to look around me to see eight adults and six kids deeply transfixed by various assortments of backlit screens. We haven’t unplugged, but I like being in a place where my focus can be on relaxing, having fun…and not much else. The sound of Portland traffic is conspicuous by its absence. In fact, there’s no traffic at all, save for the squirrels and the occasional deer who happen to wander by. I have no idea what I’m going to be doing today, except that there’s a book waiting for me. Other than that, there’s nothing I need to concern myself with, and, so far as I know, no one who’s missing me for any reason. Erin’s family…and the accompanying child-related chaos…has been enough to hold my interest, and I suspect that will continue to be the case. It’s good to focus on having fun and leaving the world behind. It’s summer, the weather’s beautiful…and that’s about as far as my brain is willing to go.
For the next few days, there’s no need for me think about Ebola, ISIS, political strife, or anything else outside my hermetically-sealed bubble…and I’m kind of liking that idea. I might just stick with it for a few more days.
