I can honestly say I’m not excellent at doing any particular thing. I’m a decent baker, though as the saying goes, it’s nothing to write home about. I’m okay at trapping feral cats but for the last 6 months, I’ve yet to rescue the last remaining cat from a colony of 37+ we’ve moved to safety. So I can’t claim bragging rights in that category either. I write, but sadly, I’m no Anne Lamott, one of my favorite writers.

On the other hand, the list of what I definitely can’t do is painfully long. Ask me anything in the technology realm and you’ll be staring at my blank expression. For starters, computers confound me; same with Wi-Fi cameras or understanding what a modem and router actually do. My poor co-worker Leanne is all too aware of this since she’s tried explaining these things to me ad nauseam and she, too, gets the blank stare. I plead ignorance.

But recently, I discovered there IS one thing I’m excellent at — Getting sidetracked. And here I thought I was hopeless. After all these years, I finally realized this is my specialty—my M.O. I believe we all have one, although mine isn’t one to gloat about. Nonetheless, good or bad, I’ve mastered it.

This awakening occurred last Wednesday during a rain and wind storm whipping through the trees across the street. My office window faces them so I couldn’t help but notice the trees waving to me, or so it seemed. I took photos but my photography skills, or lack thereof, didn’t give justice to how much they swayed across the street or how it appeared it rained harder in my backyard. But trust me. It was pouring.

Afterward, I went into the garage to move clothes from the washer into the dryer, but while in there, I noticed my traps weren’t organized, along with an abundance of bowls and other feral cat items. Naturally, I had to remedy that situation.

You should know my only goals Wednesday morning were to organize my office and purge coats from the hall closet. That’s it. Nothing else. But back at my desk, I received an Apple Music email and decided to download more songs. An hour or more later, I ended my music-surfing with ‘Lose Control’ by Teddy Swims. Love his voice.

Now don’t get me wrong; I forced myself to get back to the task at hand— filing papers I’d kept piled for weeks on my desk and on my foster cat cage. (Truth be told, it’s more like months.) However tedious it might be, and it was, I have just two words: Mission accomplished! Hall closet, here I come.

But just then, I heard my phone ping. I’ve got mail! Or in this case, a text. Still, I had to check it out. My friend Anna sent a YouTube video of a scene from the old Carol Burnett show — the dentist scene with Tim Conway and Harvey Korman. They all had a blast on that show. You should Google it. Or YouTube it.

It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway; while watching YouTube videos, I invariably click on one of the numerous animal-related ones where I end up either laughing or crying, sometimes both. And suddenly an hour has passed.

But never fear. I eventually tackled the hall closet, although much later than anticipated. The point is, I accomplished my mission, however mundane, but also entertained myself as well. And that never would have happened if getting sidetracked wasn’t my specialty.