One of my favorite films is Pixar’s animated Up. It’s the story of an elderly widower named Carl and his unexpected sidekick named Russell who set out on an unusual adventure to complete a promise made to Carl’s beloved deceased wife. In doing so, he creates a makeshift airship by tying thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats upward and onward toward the fabled Paradise Falls.
Along the way, they meet Dug, a goofy yet lovable happy-go-lucky dog who wears a special collar that allows him to speak. In a scene where he first meets Carl and Russell, there’s a moment when Dug introduces himself and excitedly explains how it is that he can talk. As he does, almost mid-thought, he gets distracted, turning his head and yelling, “Squirrel!” After a long stare into the distance, he continues what he was saying as though that interruption never happened. No matter how many times I have seen this film (which is many), that scene always makes me laugh out loud (or LOL for you younger generation).
Not surprisingly, “Squirrel!” has become a running joke amongst my friends and family. As a freeform, creative-brained person (some would say it’s ADD), I often find myself having these “Squirrel!” moments—much to the chagrin of my patient and adoring wife. I’ll be telling a story, get completely distracted by something else, have my moment, and jump right back into the story. And although I am aware of this curve in my stream of consciousness, I understand that those witness to it are probably a bit confused. I believe the technical term for a “Squirrel!” moment is digression.
Don’t we all occasionally have these “Squirrel!” moments, though? I know some who are über-focused (almost unnaturally so), but for the most part, we all digress from time to time. However, too many of us allow digression to extend beyond our conversations and into practical areas of our lives. We have dreams and hopes and (hopefully) tangible goals toward which we are moving. Yet most of us let distractions take us off that Focus Highway and lead us onto unpredictable, and usually unprofitable winding side roads. Rarely, these detours lead to exciting, even better highways; generally they only lead to wasted time and unrealized aspirations.
In this age of convenient technology and so much stuff vying for our attention, how many times a day are we distracted? I sometimes find myself checking my iPhone for new Facebook updates not two minutes after just looking at it. Or I’ll make a plan to do something productive and instead allow a “Squirrel!” moment to pull me away toward something inconsequential and fruitless. Imagine just how many things on our “someday” checklists would already be crossed off if we didn’t allow those “Squirrel!” moments to take over. Our homes would be spotless, our yard work done, our garages organized, our careers fulfilling, our relationships flourishing, and our happiness in abundance. Imagine the progress that you could make even in even a single day if we would just—Squirrel!
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