I want to start this post with a boast: the last time I went to Disneyland, the thing I enjoyed the most was watching the people.
My uncle Dwight used to say that artists see things that we ordinary mortals never do. I just read a book that illustrates the truth of that comment: How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell. The author is an artist and a professor. Her object is to help us take control of our attention. But reading the book is like watching a smart person think.
Extending the thesis of Ms. Odell’s book: The housewife and mother who pays attention to the sometimes dependent, but infinitely potential souls she is fortunate enough to be given stewardship over is more blessed than billionaires.