Occasionally, at my new job, they allow me to handle a knife.
I was cutting cilantro when I almost cut off my thumb. I'm not sure how close I came because I wasn't looking. Someone else had to tell me that I almost cut off my thumb. All of this alarmed me a little bit. Of course I was alarmed that I had almost lost my thumb, but that wasn't the worst of it. My thumb and I have had some wonderful times together. He's definitely one of my favorites. If I won't even pay attention when a prized digit is at stake...
What else do I do without looking?
I deliver burritos while listening to NPR; talking on the phone; unwrapping and consuming Commit Lozenges; finding the ideal location for thawing the fountain pop I bought at Jimmy John's the day before; changing the Elvis Costello album I will listen to when I tire of NPR; checking to make sure my proof of insurance is up-to-date in case I get into an accident.
I flirt with the girl at the bar while watching ESPN over her shoulder; wondering which Africa story will impress her without horrifying her; considering the number of Commit Lozenges I have left in my pocket.
I apply for a job while wondering if it is the job I really want; hoping it will provide enough income for me to pay my bills and buy more Commit Lozenges; worrying over the possibility that I have simply traded my addiction to cigarettes for an addiction to Commit Lozenges; considering another escape to a foreign country; weighing the odds that this job will impress that girl that I flirt with at the bar.
It turns out I do a lot of things without looking.
But when I chop cilantro these days, my attention is focused entirely on my thumb.
