I didn’t know when I wrote last week’s post how much of a chord that would strike. That you too would want to pet the dog more. You yearn to do things simply cuz you wanna. Perhaps even campaign to end side hugs with me.

You are so obsessively human. Evident by the way you want to be more human.

But then it got me thinking. Eyes wide open staring at the ceiling. On my walk. Brushing my teeth. Why? It got me thinking why. Why did I need to write about being more human (with tricks that I’d given meaningful thought to). Why do we stray from our very basic, very human, humanity?

The answer bubbled up quick. It roared loud. It blinked neon.

Distraction.

Distraction in the form of thoughts that wander their way to Oz.

Permanent distraction with all that validates us. All that distracts us. All that “connects” us. I’m talking computers, iphones, texts, feeds, galore.

The disease of busy-ness. Of being swamped. Of penciling it in. Of not having a night free until the first Tuesday of next month. Like, what…the…ef? Really? And yes really. I’ve really written that in a text to someone I love. Guessing you have too.

So much freaking distraction. So much living somewhere else. So much exiting ourselves. For what?

So you don’t have to confront the lack of ease in your soul. So you don’t have to face what is staring back at you. So you don’t have to look at what’s waiting for you when you go inward: loneliness, doubt, fear, concern, stress, worry, heartbreak. It’s in there. But it’s passable. If only you’d just keep going.

But you don’t.  You distract. You become so freaking busy. Busy with people. Busy with commitments. Busy with work. So over worked. Busy with emails and tweets and posts.

Your distractions are making you less human.

Of course you don’t laugh loud with your mouth gaping open. You missed the joke as your mind wandered to what you’re going to do about your storage unit.

Of course you ignored petting the dog. You were too furiously jamming on your keyboard to notice him beside you.

No wonder you didn’t realize you had a torn ligament. You were traveling too much to make time for a doctors appointment to address the pain. Ignoring your body’s plea to slow down.

And of course. Of course you went in for the side hug, missing that heart on heart beauty. Who has both arms to hug with when a phone is permanently texting in one hand?

The desire to be more human is actually a deep yearning to do less. So revel in what you don’t do. Take pride in using the word no. Hermit if you want. Push the flight back. Bury the phone in your bag. Don’t tell anyone you’re in town. Pay attention to your thoughts.

Do less. Way less.

Less distracted more present.

Less worried, more here.

Less busy, more open.

Being more human isn’t so much about doing more but more about doing less. And simply being.