Friday, August 13, 2010

Rock Me, Mama, Like a Wagon Wheel

I made a connection today. Check it out:
When I read, I seclude myself. When I write, I expose myself.
I'm at work right now. When I'm at work (and I'm not working), I'm either reading or writing.
When I'm reading I am, essentially, listening. Somebody is telling me a story or spilling their guts or deciding who has a better shot at winning tonight's baseball game and all I can do it sit their and use my eyes as a sponge.
When I write, I am engaged in a conversation. It may be entirely first or third person, but I'm talking and the blank page is listening as it fills up. In this case, my brain is working in a more social capacity than it is when I read.
What brought this to my attention is simple: I usually devote my time to writing entries on this page, or e-mails to whomever. Occasionally, I check ESPN's forecast for the upcoming Sox game, or look for an interesting article on Fark. Regardless, most of my time is spent writing or conversing with customers (or doing dishes). Today, though, I have spent the first two and a half hours reading a book. This is different than usual because I'm reading one thing. It consists of chapters but it is a continuous piece of writing that requires me to flex different pieces of my brain.
Now for what actually brought this to my attention: business hasn't been too steady today (not that this is particularly unusual), which has given me many opportunities to read several pages without being interrupted. When I did have customers, though, I could barely make any audible sounds, let alone carry a conversation. It caught me off guard. I've been awake and active since noon-- I'm not especially alert, nor am I very tired (I mean, I could go for a nap... but that's consistently been the case lately).

To wrap this up on a completely different note, have seconds and pennies fallen through the cracks and out of view? What I mean is this: because cell phones and credit cards are more convenient than watches and cash, are little things like seconds and pennies becoming obsolete? Maybe not, but maybe so. My cell phone has a timer and I still save all my pennies. Just a thought.

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