I’m half awake. My whole face feels like it’s sagging. I’ve gotten plenty of sleep, more than enough really. So I’m tired because I’m unfocused. Because trying to keep everything inside my head is tiring. Lazy people should stay focused all the time, otherwise they risk over working themselves with worry and doubt. And these things have no real desire to be worked, they are fine without us.

I find myself at the mall. On my laptop plugged into a public outlet. Which is really a wonderful thing when you think about it. Free electricity. It’s like a drinking fountain for my electronic devices. What happened to drinking fountains?

The mall is just waking up. People walk in a daze, the heaters strain themselves to bring the temperature up. Signs of awakeness are here. The man next to me is involved with a short tempered work conversation. “Tell him it the latest technology. Call him. RIGHT now, before anyone else gets a chance.” I can’t tell if this is genuine intensity or if he’s faking it.  A security guard looks down from the balcony. The pace of his gaze just a little too controlled, his body language a little too alert. You can tell there is purpose here.

This is what being awake is all about. A specific focused goal. Without that we’re just a big amorphous blob of ingredients. Like an explosion without a spark. Just chemicals floating around in the air. They go where ever the wind takes them. They separate. The big chance leaves the room.

I’ve been thinking about these themes lately, how great it is to be inspired, focused, passionate. But anyone can excel when they’re passionate. Everyone does. The question is, when inspiration passes, how do you act?