There are just so many distractions. For some reason it feels like being distracted is the new norm. Our brains are constantly just roaming around, looking for that new dopamine hit, that reason to procrastinate just a little longer, that reprieve from the hard, meaningful work we do (keyword being hard). I for one have noticed that my brain can no longer do one thing at a time. I need to be cleaning whilst watching a video, or working whilst listening to music or a podcast. My mind needs to be flooded with stimuli for it to keep ticking along.
But with all of that distraction comes a lot of
stress. Like when you fall into a deep scrolling wormhole and find that you’ve
just wasted an hour of your life. And for what? What did it achieve? Am I even
more relaxed than I was before that exercise? Did it get me closer to where I
want to be in life? Most likely, you’re at the same place you were an hour ago,
possibly in the same position on the couch/bed/floor, and you’re exactly where
you started, none the wiser. It’s an addictive drug masquerading as harmless
fun.
It’s definitely not all bad, though. Having these
mediums allow us all to connect in a way that was unheard of just a few years
ago. I remember in primary school, marvelling at our handmade telephones with
just two food cans and a piece of string. All of this information gives me more
new ideas than I can ever fathom, let alone figure out a time to execute all of
them. My time is so limited, yet it gets sucked up so easily by the magic of
the world that is the internet.
There is a point where we need to stop and reflect on
the effect this has. For me, I love learning new ideas, new ways of doing
things. My favourite series recently has been Try
Living With Lucie. She has also done a Ted Talk about trying.
giving things a go, just to see how it pans out. I think this is lost with our
current information age. What is the point of trying when you can watch someone
else do it without the fear of failure?
But when I really thought about it, even though I have
so many interests, I couldn’t remember the last time I made a concerted effort
outside of work to make something. To go all in and create something I was
proud of. To really dedicate myself to a cause. It’s easy to brush a side
project off. Easy to say things like, I use up most of my energy at work,
anything outside of that is time for relaxing and re-energising. But I don’t
think that’s quite enough. I always have this voice at the back of my head that
I can do more, that there are more things to learn, to experience, to create. A
small part of me that just wants to make my corner of the world better and more
beautiful than before, no matter how small that corner of the world is. A small
part of me that wants to do everything I can to make the people around me a
little bit happier. (I seem to be comprised of lots of small parts).
So here it is. My concerted effort at trying something
for realsies. For having a target and a focus, no matter how blurry it seems to
be at the beginning. I want to bake and write and create. I want to do it my
way. I want to eat cookies.
Hoping that you have a great year this year,
Jen
RECIPE NOTES
Adapted from Banana and Oatmeal Cookies by The Healthy
Chef
Makes 12
Ingredients
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
200g instant oats
½ cup dessicated coconut
½ cup dark chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon ground salt
100 – 150g ripe bananas, mashed
¼ cup honey
¼ cup coconut oil
1.
Preheat your oven to 130 degrees Celsius.
2.
Mix together all ingredients until thoroughly
combined.
3.
Make cookies, a large tablespoon of mixture at
a time, and flatten slightly on the tray. Bake and enjoy!
Notes
·
I
made these cookies on a Friday morning with whatever I had on hand after a long
week at work.
·
This
meant we only had a banana and a half left after Ash ate half with chocolate
ice cream the previous night, and subbing honey for maple syrup.
·
Highly
recommended to bake in the morning and eaten warm for breakfast to reward
yourself after the struggle to wake up early.
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