When reading a book, a thought can come to mind, one that will interrupt our focus on a book. It can be a thought that’s unrelated to the story, such as a chore that we need to do, a financial matter that has been looming in our minds, or something as trivial as a commercial we saw on TV.
But even when this interrupting thought comes to mind, we continue to read–read as if nothing has happened. And as we read, we become slowly consumed by that thought–become lost in it until it’s at the forefront of our minds.
A minute or two will go by, and then when we pause, we’ll realize that we’ve grasped nothing from the book. We won’t even know what events have transpired, nor will we know what was said amongst the characters. This realization will shock us for a moment, but once we’ve come to our senses, we’ll become annoyed with that interrupting thought.
But we have to ask ourselves why it was there in the first place. Was it there because that thought brought to mind something that we need to address–to take care of right away? Or did it occur because the text wasn’t engaging, or was the text itself mystifying to read?
At any rate, we need to start over. But will that interrupting thought stir up in our minds again?
Fallton Havenstonne 