BUGS! Yick.

There is nothing quite as distracting as a bug INSIDE your windshield.

This experience tonight had me thinking about distractions. I'm just picking on one example tonight: TV.

I'm not one to sit down and watch much TV. To be honest... most of the time I prefer a book anyways. But the truth of it is, if I do sit down in front of a good [or less than great] show, I get sucked in just as much as anyone else.

And even worse are the infinite number of series that are all conveniently at my fingertips on Netflix, Hulu, ABC Family.... You name it. For these gems I don't have to wait the week in between episodes. Life has to wait a week for me to finish the episodes! [We've all been there. Haha]

I've become seriously hooked on some shows in the past that have been a less than wonderful influence in my life. Are they evil? No. Did they make me feel awful all the time? Certainly not. The fact is that they became major distractions.

Once I am hooked, they are really hard for me to let go of. And if I let them, they can become a major time suck! Priorities get shifted and eventually my perspective begins to be a little off.

This is where the bug comes in.

Bugs live outside. They splat against our windshields all the time. We know that they are there and they don't usually stop us from continuing to drive on our course and make it to our destination. In fact, when they are living outside of our windshield, we hardly notice them at all. We're too busy moving along at howevermanyMPH [Of course, never over the speed limit....] and getting to where we need to be.

However, when we open that door and let the bug INSIDE and they begin to be with us constantly, then it is a whole different ballgame. For it is not an easy task to persuade a small, but very visible bug that they want to leave the wide expanse of glass that looks like freedom and move to the side where you've opened the real escape.

It is especially difficult and dangerous to do so while you should be occupied doing something much more important... Like uh... Watching the road and the other cars around you!

Point: [I promise I actually had one when I began to type this. Not sure where it went...]

TV shows, YouTube, Books, Social media, whateveritmaybeforyou can be very good things. But we've always got to ask ourselves, is it worth it?

This show is hiliarious! But is it worth sitting through the crude jokes?

Netflix put ALL 3 SEASONS UP!!! Yesssss!!! But is it worth the time I will lose to do better things? Is it worth me telling my little sister to go away because I'd rather spend time with fictional characters than help her do her hair?

It's all about perspective, moderation, and good old fashioned self control. Entertainment is good and it certainly has its place. BUT I guess that little bug today helped me realize that I want to do better at choosing the best, at reducing distractions, at focusing on things that matter most.

I don't want to let those dang bugs inside! I want to keep them on the OUTSIDE of my windshield because I don't want them to go with me where I'm headed.

Much Love!!