A handy insight arose during a long-delayed flight with GXRP (yes, it’s back up).

I noticed that, after almost a month off, I was slightly bewildered, like a student. It was not that the basics were difficult, but that there was a lot of distraction. Auxiliary sensations, behaviors, others’ actions all vied for my attention far more now than when I’m fresh with the skills. The main problem with the lack of recent practice was my lessened ability to tune out those distractions. It’s weakened discipline.

Looking back on other types of activities I’ve stopped then started, there may be a similar tendency. The basic mechanics of driving still operate well, automatically, after a bunch of days off, but the focus is missing. My eyes rove all over; I miss some important cues; I’m clumsy. More noise intrudes on the signal.

If this is a wider phenomenon, maybe to regain a practiced state of mind is to better filter the irrelevant again.