I discovered an interesting factoid the other day. Albert Einstein is a scatterbrain. I am speaking in the present tense. Parts of Einstein’s brain have been missing and scattered about for decades.

     Following Einstein’s death in 1955, his brain mysteriously disappeared. It seems that an examining physician named Thomas Harvey removed the genius’ brain and took it home to study. Harvey divided the brain into 240 pieces and stored them in mason jars.

     Einstein’s son, Hans Albert, eventually discovered what Harvey had done, but the doctor managed to keep hold of the brain for several decades by hiding the various parts across the country. Much of Einstein’s brain was eventually recovered and is stored at the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Centre in New Jersey. Yet several pieces remain missing. There are days when I feel like my own mind is scattered.

     There are many tasks to accomplish. My thoughts frequently become distracted by interruptions. I often feel as though I am in the hereafter. I walk into a room and wonder what I’m here after.

     Solomon, the person credited with writing many of the Proverbs offered the following counsel: “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you” (Proverbs 4:25, ESV). I’m not certain how often the author took his own advice. Solomon is said to have had 700 wives. I don’t doubt the man’s attention was often divided.

     The word straight in Hebrew means to follow a circuitous route that leads one to the right destination. Solomon’s point is that life seldom moves in a linear direction. Our days are filled with a variety of demands that require our attention.

     We may start out with the intent of driving to the grocery. However, a simple phone call may lead us to drop off a prescription at the pharmacy, and if time allows, pull into the gas station to top off the tank. By the time we finish our rounds and arrive back at the house, we kick ourselves for forgetting to pick up a gallon of milk.

     Such is life according to Solomon. In the words of Stephen Covey:

               “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”. Its message is timeless—
                keeping your focus and efforts on the most important goals will help you accomplish them.

Very few of us are geniuses. However, all of us are Einstein’s whose brains are prone to be scattered.

     Like a pool ball, each of us is more than likely to get bounced around from one moment to the next. Yet may we also never forget that our ultimate goal is to land in the pocket. The good news is that none of us need to be a genius to win the game.