Entertain me . . .

I’m in the car quite a bit. . . and if you don’t know much about LA traffic let me explain.  We’re in the car…a lot…and if it’s peak time 12 miles can take you 45 – 60 minutes, or longer if there’s wrecks, lights out, or rain.  I’m not complaining, I choose to live here, and traffic is part of it.  Besides, I like to use that time in the car . . .

I normally talk to my Dad, other family members, or catch up with my besties, Teade or Keisha.

Well, this particular day when I call Keisha and Teade, I’m sent to voicemail, and when I call Dad, he’s having dinner with my uncle . . . hmmm . . .what to do?  Radio?  Podcast?  Spotify?  Call more people?

What exactly did I have to talk about that was urgent?  Nothing, just chit chat.

So, I’m debating on which entertainment is going to keep me company on the way home . . . and I wasn’t feeling any of it.  BOREDOM!!! Driving a car isn’t enough I suppose?  I started wondering why I wanted/needed to be entertained so badly?

It’s been said we spend more time entertaining ourselves than any other group of people in history thus far.  How much time do you spend entertaining yourself?  Do juicy gossip articles on Yahoo stop you from work?

And then you’re down a rabbit hole reading about Chipotle opening a burger chain, a generational wedding gown, a child’s heart touching wisdom and advice to his mom, a celebrity’s parenting style, the new nail summer colors . . . yeah . . . I’ve read some of those. . . they were interesting articles, some shocking, some unnecessary, some emotionally moving, and overall I was entertained.

Definitions of entertain:

• to hold the attention of pleasantly or agreeably; divert; amuse.
• to admit into the mind; consider.
• to hold in the mind; harbor; cherish

What exactly are you thinking about when you’re not distracted?  The noise allows us to drift away.  What are we running from?

“Whatever we practice, we become good at.” – Steve Tietsort

Once home, my attention is given to my family, and I get busy cooking dinner, acting work, cleaning, preparing for tomorrow, reading, etc., etc.  Now, I’m not saying there isn’t a time for entertainment, it’s most necessary, but an overindulgence in it it futile.

A scary thing that happens when we quiet the noise around us, there’s a noise within us that rises up.  Voices and reminders of how impactful we can be, which confronts the wall of beliefs (good/bad) that we have about ourselves.

So, what did I think about on my quiet drive?  I’d like to tell you I thought about profound ideas . . . I made the observation of the desire to be entertained, had random daydreams of being a hero in confrontational moments (don’t ask), and thought, “what do I want to think about.”

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Be careful of your thoughts, for they become your words.  Be careful of your words for they become your actions.  Be careful of your actions for they become your habits.  Be careful of your habits for they become your character.  Be careful of your character for it becomes your destiny.”

Often, I hear people say, “Oh if I only had a moment to sit down and think.”  Take the moment, it won’t be offered to you.  You’re job, children, etc., will not beg you to sit down and think for a moment, something will always fill that moment, if you don’t choose it.

Real thoughts, don’t stay locked in the mind forever, they take on the form of action.

Our time is precious and non-refundable time, invest it boldly and wisely.

“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12

“There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” – Numbers 13:33

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.  “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.” – Proverbs 23:7