Yesterday, I was driving home along Highway 50 (a commute I will have to do only a handful of times more!) There was a car in front of me that was driving oddly. It was going slower than the prevailing traffic speed, and it was drifting from side to side of its lane. I assumed it was one more person occupied with a cell phone, whether talking or texting. I passed the car carefully, giving it a wide berth and watching for any unexpected swerves. As I drove past, I glanced over to see that the distraction was. The driver had an open book on his steering wheel and a cigarette in his hand! He was reading a novel and smoking while hurtling down the highway at over 60 miles an hour. I was totally shocked. I kept him in my sight in my rearview mirror until there was a large distance between us.
He’s gotten me to thinking, though. Not just about how terrible it was that he was risking not only his own life, but the life of the other people unfortunate enough to share the road with him. I wonder, though, how often we go through life paying attention to one thing, while the most important thing escapes our attention entirely.
I know that sounds like “preacher talk,” but it helps answer a question I’ve been pondering. My habit has been to not take my computer on vacation with me, to avoid getting sucked into work. This year, though, I had been reconsidering. After all, I’m new to a church, and there might be important things that come up. After watching reading-smoking-man, though, my answer is clear. I don’t want to spend precious time with my family in a beautiful place surfing the internet, doing email, or (sorry!) even writing blogs. I want to look around me and be able to pay attention to what is really important. The computer stays home, and I intend to notice the gifts of God that surround me.
