What happened to zoning out? Ya know, just staring off into space, there but not there? Perhaps you call it spacing out, or some other term for that blank stare into nothing.
I just woke up from a nap, one in which I actually felt my body relax deeply, muscles and bones melting into the bed. Now, as I’ve been sitting here, I found myself staring out the window, looking at the leaves and branches of a little bush rattle in the wind, blue sky in the background. Even those words are hard to evoke, as really I was just staring at it, or even, through it.
I think that with my trusty phone by my side, I’ve often averted zoning out. At any moment, I can unlock it and travel to any part of the virtual world, seeing faces, engaging in conversations, or doing whatever I see fit. To look at the phone, however, requires focus. I must train my eyes on a small screen a few feet in front of my face. I must hold my hands in a certain position, activating my fingers to navigate what’s there. Most of the time, using the phone is a very active exercise.
I miss the days of seeing people space out. Being at the doctor’s office and seeing so many people just looking off into nowhere. Being on the bus and seeing people just in a peaceful zombie state. Being at the bar and seeing people just contemplating/processing their lives.
I wonder if we put too much pressure on ourselves to be always on, always focused. I know I sure do. I think that if I’m not focused then I must be not doing enough—not thinking enough, not planning enough, not researching enough. Yet, what if zoning out, unfocusing (defocusing?), helps me focus even more strongly when I need to? What if zoning out actually provides more creativity than trying to focus?
I believe there are many benefits to zoning out and that most of them seem unexplored because our culture may find it to be a “lazy” thing to do, and goodness, we Americans think lazy is a bad thing.
I’m not sure about all that but I’m sure that I miss it. I enjoy just staring blankly, it’s almost as if I’m sleeping while awake. Let’s me recover my strength to pay attention, when I need to, and soak up the world as is, without thinking about it.
Ahhhhhh.
