MediocreMan

Distracted Discourse · 16 November 2019

Distracted discourse can be dangerous to your relationships.

Being distracted can be dangerous to your health. When you are driving or working about heavy equipment, you must always be vigilant. You must always be aware of your surroundings or things could go seriously awry. Being distracted in those situations can truly be dangerous to your health.

We can see this danger most often with distracted drivers. Those are the people who come into your lane because they are looking down at their phones. Even though it is illegal and dangerous, people still drive distracted. And I am not sure why. But as dangerous as distracted driving is to your physical health, distracted discourse can be equally dangerous to how you relate to other people. Distracted discourse can be dangerous to your relationships.

We all think that we can multitask. Text and drive. Juggle and eat an apple. Read and watch TV. Be on the internet and talk to somebody. I know. Some people really can juggle and eat an apple, but doing those other combinations of tasks are surely impossible. At least if you want to survive, or do either one or the other well.

I know that I am not a multi-tasker. I can only do one thing at a time. Especially, when it comes to talking with other people. I need to make sure I do not have distracted discourse.

Communicating with other people takes immense concentration. You need to actually listen to the other person’s words. But looking at the other person is just as important. After all, you can tell much of what a person is feeling by looking at him or her. Seeing a person speak is just as important as hearing tone and inflection. And of course, as important as listening to the words.

I know all these things about active communication. We probably all know these things. But I have too much distracted discourse. I am sometimes distracted by my iPad when I am talking to important people. When I am talking to my family. And that is something I do not want to do. I want to fully engage with my family when I talk to them. I want them to know that what they are saying is important. I want them to know that I am taking them seriously. And more importantly, I want to make sure I hear the words they are saying and the feelings they are communicating with their facial expressions and body positions. I want to really communicate instead of barely listening.

Of course, there are times when I really listen. When I put away my device and have actual conversations with people. When I do not have distracted discourse. And I am working toward that being the case all the time instead of some of the time or even most of the time. I am working to shut down my device when I am listening to somebody talk. I am working on having undistracted discourse.

We all know that bad things happen when there are misunderstandings between people. Relationships can be fractured. Sometimes beyond repair. Or at least seemingly so. Just because of communications. Which is why I am working toward always having undistracted communications with everybody. Sure, there will be times when I am interrupted and need to come away from whatever I am doing, but telling people to wait a moment until they can have your undivided attention is better than trying to finish something while they start talking.

Just like I know I should never even check a text message that comes when I am driving, I know that I should put away my distractions when I am communicating. After all, I know that distracted driving is dangerous to my health, and distracted discourse is just as dangerous to my relationships.

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Without a Rhyme or Reason · 9 November 2019

Here today, gone tomorrow, without a rhyme or reason.

A friend sent that sentiment to me the other day. He wondered if the rhyme was a reason and whether rhyme was really a word. Or something like that. Actually, he just commented on rhyme being a strange word after he wondered if the rhyme was a reason for something being here today and gone tomorrow. Like I said, something like that.

Well not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I thought that maybe I could turn his thoughts into a poem. Or at least a blog post. We shall see.

Here Today and Gone Tomorrow

Here today, gone tomorrow, without a rhyme or reason.
Time is marching ever on, it is how we get the seasons.
But is life just so simple, does time just roll on by?
Or should we stop and think? Should we wonder, “Why?”
Should we think about the world, about the stars, the sun, the moon?
Or how regardless of who we are, life ends all too soon?
I suppose it all depends upon, where your heart it at.
Or if you want to think at all. Can you imagine that?
Yes life is all too fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow.
We need to cherish all of life, even cherish all the sorrow.

Okay. Not such a great poem. But that is okay. After all.

I like to rhyme.
Not all the time.
But I like to rhyme.
Some of the time.

Again, not a great poem. Or maybe not even a poem. Just a few silly words strung together. Still, it is much better than the worn out saying:

You’re a poet.
And you don’t even know it.

Which is what I should have replied to my friend. (Apparently, rhyming was never a requirement to be a poet.)

Well, that is about it. I am not really sure there was a rhyme or reason behind this blog post. Except that I got an email from a friend stringing two sayings together. Like his thought that ended abruptly, so I will abruptly end this post. So it can just go from your mind. So it can be here today and gone tomorrow, without a rhyme or reason.

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Someone to Be There · 2 November 2019

Praying Hands
by Albrecht Dürer
This work is in
the public domain.

When we face times of grief and despair
We just need to know that somebody’s there
Somebody to cry with, somebody to hug
Somebody to sit with us there on the rug
Somebody to listen, somebody to hear
Somebody who offers just to be near
Somebody at sundown, somebody at dawn
Somebody to offer a shoulder to cry on
Somebody who might not say one single word
Especially something that might sound absurd
Somebody who knows me, somebody who cares
Yes, we just need to know that somebody’s there
For nobody wants to grieve all alone
Nobody needs to cry all alone
But everybody needs someone to be there
In times when we have so much grief and despair
So I turn to Jesus who calls me His son
He is the somebody, He is the One
I turn to Him in my grief and despair
I know that He will always be there
He will be there when I need someone
He will be there when all’s said and done
So I’m here for you as He’s been here for me
I’ll bear His light so that you can see
I’ll be His hands and His arms that hug you
I’ll help bear your burdens and carry you through
I’ll be His light that can shine in your life
The light that can help in your stress and your strife
Yes, I’ll be with you in times of grief and despair
Because we all need someone to be there

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