“The distinctive character of a child is to always live in the tangible present.” (John Ruskin)

One of the things that aggravates parents most is when the kids get so zeroed in on an activity that they forget the world around them. This often happens when they’re playing a computer game, but it can occur with almost any activity. They become so engrossed that they can’t hear you asking them to come to dinner or take out the trash.

Maybe they’re doing it intentionally, but it doesn’t seem like it. It seems like they’re legitimately in the zone.

Of course, sometimes I wish I had that ability to completely focus on the task at hand, to be fully in the moment. I am so easily distracted by all the grown up stuff in my world — bills, work, regret, the sinking feeling that my life isn’t everything I’d hoped it would be. I lose sight of the present — which is the only time period in which I actually live!

There’s a reason the present is called the present; it’s a gift. Yeah, that’s cheesy, but it’s still true.