Attention Span

You might think, given my usual child-centric content, that this post is going to be about how one of my kids can't seem to focus on anything for more than a few minutes before being distracted.

A reasonable assumption, especially because....

Wait, is that a fly buzzing around the kitchen? And wait a sec, I need to check my e-mail.

Umm, where was I?

Oh, yes, posting. About short attention spans. But not a child's -- mine.

I find myself unable, or unwilling, to gather together enough patience to follow through to completion even the simplest of TV shows. Or to read an entire NYT article online. Watch a whole movie in one sitting? Highly unlikely, unless I'm in a theater.

I feel as if I am swallowing bits of information in ever-shrinking chunks, which leaves me with little capacity for a big long luxurious drink.

I blame a few things: Remote controls, for one. Constant interruptions from my kids, for another. The Internet, blog posts, Facebook. My beloved iPod, even, with the alarmingly addictive "next" button that allows me to bypass any song I choose. Thank goodness I don't Twitter, or my attention span would be about the width of a sand flea.

The one saving grace is that I still read books. Some of them quite long! Of course, I usually read them in short snippets, but still.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have about ten other things that simultaneously need what's left of my attention.