When Readers Listen {Another New Series}

I can’t remember how Abbigail of Inkwells and Images and I met, but it was via writing, I know that.  I think it’s safe to say that we both love words and we both love talking about words, so we came up with an idea. What if we agreed to listen to one of the oodles of podcasts on our, “I Want To Listen To That” list, then wrote about it on our blogs? We both decided it would be a great exercise for reading and writing.

Today, we are discussing the New Yorker “Outloud” podcast, “May We Have Your Attention, Please?” The hosts, Amelia Lester and David Haglund, talk with Joshua Rothman and Andrew Marantz about, “theories of distraction and the benefits and drawbacks of concentration.”

Here are my notes I took while I listened:

{Something that surprised me}: I was surprised and relieved at Rothman’s and Marantz’s defense of distraction. Yes, they discussed, we are more stimulated then we used to be, but we are also more freaked out about being distracted than we used to be. “We’re called upon to be attentive,” one of them said, and then went on to explore all these subjects that we want to attend to: jobs, family, marriage, ethical and healthy food, exercise, prayer, meaning of life.  Not only that, but we ought to craft all these things into something. It’s exhausting.  I am guilty of getting caught up in this, and while technology has led to the pressure I feel to always do something, I have always felt this way.  I remember once my Uncle Greg asked me what I do for fun and I said, “I make lists, and I color code them.” I admit, I don’t see the point in not having a plan for my day (even Saturdays), and listening to this podcast made me realize that maybe I’m a little too tightly wound. Maybe a distraction or two would be good for me.

{What it taught me about reading}: I loved the anecdote one of the guests told about a ski instructor who told his students stories to distract them from being afraid so they could ski down the hill. I am a big believer in the idea of getting lost in a story because I think it helps us come back to what’s going on in our lives with a more layered perspective of whatever situation we are experiencing. For example, I’m typing this up after having spent a day walking through the Badlands. Go ahead and roll your eyes, call me ridiculous and stupid, but that place is the scariest place I have ever been. I didn’t want to miss out on it though, because I am afraid. So here’s what I did: as I walked around South Dakota, I recalled Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons, one of the greatest stories ever written. In it, Sal, the main character, takes a road trip through the Badlands with her grandparents who are a hoot to be around, so I thought of them. I thought of the Grandpa saying, “Damn snakes,” and the Grandma dancing. I thought of Sal and her quest to learn more about her mother. I thought of the many students I’ve read this story to and the fun we had reading it. I was still afraid, but I could keep walking, and I could navigate this place with my girls. In the middle of one of the trails, Harper said, “I’m so glad we came here because we are having so many memories.” And then she stopped and yelled to Jesse, who was several feet away taking pictures. “Daddy!” she screamed, “Thanks for taking us to the Badlands!” I can’t think of a better distraction than one of my daughter’s voices.

{What it taught me about writing}: Two views on distracting thoughts: “Some of your thoughts are pointless; some are not.” And, “You can’t have a hierarchy of thoughts in your mind.” When I sit down to write, I rarely know what it is I’m writing about. What I have is something I want to examine; something I’m wondering about.  Those moments when I don’t know what to write next are always followed with, “This is a stupid idea. You’ll never pull this off.  What were you thinking? This is so dumb.” It’s a fun time.  This is certainly one way of distracting myself, but its purpose is to stop the work.  What might be a better distraction would be to go to a coffeeshop and listen to the baristas while they make peoples’ drinks.  They say the greatest things.  Or, go on a walk with my kids. There is usually a story that I can pair with a thought or two I’ve been ruminating over.

{Favorite Quotes}:

“Everything you do is pointing to something.”

“Is a daydream more important than work?”

“Distraction is anything I didn’t mean to do.”

“Concentration is attending to something in a deliberate way.”

What about you? Do you have thoughts on distraction? Have you listened to this podcast? If not, you can find it here.  Make sure to click over to Abbie’s post, too.  You can find it here.

Next month, Abbigail and I will write about The Longform Podcast, #148, Anna Holmes.