DistRActed? or Just Distracted?

/ SueBC

Ever realize that you seem to have so much going on that odd things are happening?

I wouldn’t mind so much if I were distRActed (i.e. distracted by Richard Armitage, for the uninitiated), but that does not seem to be the case. Now I’m not sure whether I’ve permanently “lost that loving feeling” (as the Elvis song goes) or whether it will start to bubble to the surface again once I’m not so full up with other things. Do you remember the Gary Larsen The Far Side cartoon, “Mr. Osborne, May I be Excused? My Brain is Full”? Well, that’s how I feel right now. But enough about that.

I’ve managed to find a bit of distRAction in the charity auction (now over) for LOROS hosted by Guylty… didn’t win any items but I did my part in the bidding which helped to increase the bids going to charity. Last I saw, the fundraising there had gone to almost 800 Euros and probably went beyond. And this year, Guylty organized a fixed price fundraiser as well, with handmade crafts from several crafty fangirls. I’m excited to get my Morse code “Richard” bead bracelet, handmade by Guylty, and my collared wooden Richard ornament, handmade by Rachel. The fixed price fundraiser is almost sold-out, with just hair scrunchies and the wooden Richard ornaments remaining as of this writing.

But back to the evidence that, in general, I seem to be distracted.

Image by PDPics from Pixabay 
  • Where are my keys? Last week, I was in the office on the Saturday, with no one on site except for my son who was working on a project for school. Taking a break, I went to make myself some coffee in the kitchen. Our building is very secure, with fob entry systems. To get to the kitchen, I have to leave the locked office area, go through another door, and then use my fob to enter the kitchen. After putting the kettle on, I decided to visit the washroom while I waited. As soon as I got there — oh no! I suddenly realized that I had left my keys and fob beside the kettle in the locked kitchen! The door into the offices was also locked, although I could have called my son to let me in. The problem would be — how would I lock up and how would I be able to get back in the next day, which I had to do because I was working on a funding application on deadline. Sigh. Thank goodness my distracted brain realized the solution. I was able to go down to my car (I did have my car keys) and get the remote that opens the underground garage. Luckily it has a built- in fob. Phew.
  • Isn’t this good enough? A couple of weeks ago, I had a few minutes to clean up my home office. I found a receipt for a spacer for my son’s asthma medication that would be covered by my medical plan at work. All I had to do was submit my receipt. I filled out the online forms, scanned the receipt and uploaded it to the online platform. This week, I received a notification that they couldn’t process it because I hadn’t submitted a receipt. WTF? I definitely submitted a “receipt” with the claim. Going onto the online platform, I checked to find out what the issue was and found this…
I guess sending flowers wasn’t enough!
Image by glompie from Pixabay
  • The scariest evidence: Coming home late from the office with my son, I noticed the red lights begin to flash at the gated railway crossing. Seeing red, my distracted brain told me to stop. Which is all well and good, but this happened when my car was already on the tracks! Luckily, my brain did kick itself into gear and got us quickly on our way before the gates came down, but my son said, “I could see the train coming towards us!” I did reach the next corner before the train passed, so probably not that close, but still…

So, yeah. I’m trying to be extra vigilant right now, to compensate for my distraction. We are trying to make some changes at work and my son should be finished his school this month, so I’m hopeful that 2021 might allow me to take some positive steps and have time to keep my brain on an even keel.

27 thoughts on “DistRActed? or Just Distracted?”

  1. I’ve been able to train myself in always, always, always having the keys in my hand when I move (partially as a consequence of the situation with dad), but I also experience the “not totally concentrated on driving” problem (with me, it’s usually — did I just run a red light?). It’s scary. I also wonder when my situation will end, and I am starting to wonder if I will be around for it.

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  2. As growing older, physical and/or intellectual tiredness increases with lack of concentration and/or memory loss. May welcome you to the club of sixties solid booked women. As for the anecdotes they are similar or worst: frightening.
    – Work phone picked up by mistake at home. Result half the phone the next day at the pharmacy.
    – Bank card used for the motorway toll, forgotten in the car intended for the mechanic (broken alternator belt caused by kitten: bones and fur found)
    – At night fell, driving back home, deliberately moved the car to the right, to allow a motorcycle to overtake. But on this wide sidewalk was walking a young dancing pedestrian (returning from school with backpack). Just enough time to put the car back on its lane, but retrospectively experienced my worst life fear. Not pride of me…

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  4. Close calls like your one on the railway tracks are frightening. It’s hard not to dwell on what the consequences could have been. I’m finding my brain fades are happening more now that I’m moving further into my sixties and they frustrate me to no end. Take care!

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  5. Whoa, that train situation sounds scary, be careful! Having said that, I too can get very distracted while driving, especially when I’m tired and that always worries Mr Esther when I leave home with the car, especially in the evenings. The flowers mix up is pretty adorable, though.
    You need a good assistant or delegation of some tasks to keep your head functioning, but yes, that is always much easier said than done. Take care and get rest where you can.

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