If you are anything like me, you notice things. I’m sure I notice the same things most people do, but in a different way. Or, I have the ability to not see the forest or the trees while walking through them, but can draw a bead on an odd-shaped pinecone along the trail. Most often, these insignificant observations set in motion a series of thoughts, or what deeper people than I might refer to as ‘musings’.
Is it pinecone or pine cone?
If I squint hard enough, can I make a pinecone look like a pineapple?
I wonder if anyone was ever killed by a pinecone?
I’m glad that pinecones don’t spontaneously combust.
How hungry would I have to be to eat a pinecone?
Whatever happened to Euell Gibbons?
Why so greedy with the vowels, Euell?
I’m sure most, if not all of you have had the exact same thoughts. If I’ve heard it once, I may have heard it more than once, I can’t remember: “You’re preachin’ to the choir, obscure blogger!” Kind of aggressive, but I’m picking up what you are putting down, homey. My inclination towards all things esoteric is not limited to figurative walks through figurative forests, but manifests itself, to the chagrin of those within earshot, in pretty much everything. Just the other day I asked my wife if she remembered Yahoo Serious. To my delight, she responded, “You mean the Australian film actor and director, born Greg Gomez Pead?” Actually, she never said that, much to my dismay. Can you imagine? She had no idea who I was talking about. In her defense, I get that response A LOT. What, you may wonder, compelled me to think and ask about Yahoo Serious, 35 years after his groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece Young Einstein? Frankly, I have no idea, but thanks for asking.
My uncanny ability to retain arcane factoids is great when watching Jeopardy! or playing Trivial Pursuit (Do the cool kids still play?), but can be a distraction to the more immediate, the more important. I’ll notice if a coworker upgraded the wheels and tires on his Jeep but not when another hasn’t been to work for a few weeks. Look, we all have things in our lives that rightfully demand our attention. For instance, you may be an air traffic controller. I’m not saying that you should somehow be forbidden to think about your fantasy football league while on the clock. Maybe put off contemplating a trade between Ja’Marr Chase and Stefon Diggs until after trying to coax Sully back to LaGuardia, figuratively speaking of course.
Knowledge, even the trivial, is obviously not bad. Situational awareness is helpful, possibly essential. It’s when we are occupied with either, to the detriment of investing in the Lord’s image bearers, that we need to examine our hearts and schedules.
(Click “Stand on Firmer Ground” for a deeper look into Whatever Happened To…)