Yesterday, I sent off a big Pokémon card order, then closed all tabs. I wanted to hit pause on my collection for a few months to better focus on writing. There’s always another card to chase, another set coming out, but, most of the time, you don’t miss too much if you lie dormant for a while.
To celebrate the shift in direction, I woke up early this morning. But by 5:10 AM, I had already made my first mistake: While sitting on the can, I checked my email. Surely everything was going right with all my orders? Well, all except one, apparently.
One person I had ordered two cards from apologized: They only had one left. The other was gone. The missing card was an illustration rare of a little lion pokémon aptly named “Litleo.” After it waltzed into my brain, it stuck around.
While getting dressed, I thought about Litleo. While brushing teeth, I thought about Litleo. And while working out, I thought about Litleo. Such is the fickle mind.
In order for my brain train to not get derailed completely, I had to do what it wanted: solve the problem. So, eventually, between workouts, I flung open my laptop, did a quick check, and ordered a replacement card. There, Litleo! Are you happy now?
As soon as the loop was closed, I could feel my mind taking a deep breath. The sea was smooth again, and Litleo happily walked off into the sunset. Disaster averted, back to meditation and forward-motion I went.
In the grand scheme of things, little detours like this don’t seem all that dramatic. But if you take one, two, three of them every day, they add up. It’s not that you shouldn’t spend time with a hobby, be proactive, or solve little challenges quickly to get them out of the way before they fester. There’s value in all of these—but also a time and place for them. And when you’re neither in that time nor that place, even the barely perceptible act of checking your email can put a serious dent in your goals.
A little lion can still roar loudly in your head. So if you’re not ready for a visit to the zoo, well, then don’t buy a ticket just yet.
