The Art of Distraction

Gandalf: He’s suffered a defeat, yes, but… behind the walls of Mordor, our enemy is regrouping.

Gimli: Let him stay there. Let him rot! Why should we care?

Gandalf: Because 10,000 Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom. I’ve sent him to his death.

Aragorn: No. There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time… and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that.

Gimli: How?

Aragorn: Draw out Sauron’s armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate.

Éomer: We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms.

Aragorn: Not for ourselves. But we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron’s Eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves.

Legolas: A diversion.

Gimli: Certainty of death. Small chance of success.. What are we waiting for?!

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-The Last Debate, Return of the King

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When I have an episode, emergency, whateverwewannacallit, it takes a while for the medicine to start working, or for the brain to correct itself, or many other ways of getting past said emergency to happen…

So what to do?

I distract myself. I divert my attention from the thing making me miserable. This isn’t easy, but it works. Having a list on hand of the things I enjoy makes it that little bit easier of a choice.

One of my favorite distractions is Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I have artwork on my walls, maps of Middle-earth framed, every Tolkien book or movie that comes out… I try to get as much as I can. My caregiver knows that when all else fails, the answer to, “do you need to go to Middle-earth?” will be yes at least 90% of the time.

If you have a suggestion to add to this list, please leave a comment!

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1. PRN (as needed) medicines
2. Soaking in a bath (Epsom salts, baking soda, bathbombs, etc)
3. Massage
4. Qigong
5. Meditation
6. Breathing exercises
7. Researching vector borne diseases
8. Researching family history
9. Studying history
10. Writing to my sponsored child in India
11. Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, the Silmarillion, etc, anything Tolkien
12. YouTube channels for nature, independent news, and comedy
13. IV Fluids
14. Coloring
15. Making up stories
16. Detoxification
17. Essential oils
18. Wellness guides
19. Support groups
20. B-powered honey
21. Browsing websites
22. GLA peer mentorship program
23. Play games like Sims, Idle, etc
24. Cuppa hot tea
25. Green tea ceremony
26. Bird watching
27. Cuddling with animals
28. Training my service dog for public access
29. Spending time with my nephews
30. Reading fantasy stories, right now: Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
31. Drink water
32. Work on the site
33. More to come..