Don’t be less

# Chapter 321

Attention is the life I am choosing to lead, if I still have this choice. There are at least two times when I don’t: when I give into the distractions of social media, doomscrolling or YouTubing, and when I have Alzheimer’s. And I am making no joke. Alzheimers robs you of your ability to pay attention and to focus. My mom had “early onset” Alzheimers and we went through almost 20 years of decline before that monster took her life. And even though its been only five years since she died, she left us mentally 15 years ago! It was all but impossible to have a conversation with her those last 9-10 years of her life, because she had no ability to focus, pay attention or execute any type of consecutive sequencing of thought or conversation. It has been a long time since I had a solid conversation with my mother and miss that more than words can express.

But I digress from the point that what you pay attention to is shaping your life. This is true of everyone. And you can lose that ability through sickness like dementia and Alzheimer’s or you can freely give up your choice to choose by playing on the internet with your phone or tablet or whatever keeps you out of the real world. And yes this is as much a diatribe against YouTube and social media as it is a advocation for paying attention to what you are paying attention to. Youtube and social media has robbed me of some of my best friends. They are so much less than they were before. Don’t be less.