Back (Mostly) From Anagram Land

Over the past few weeks, I've had some trouble concentrating for extended periods of time. Even reading, which is normally a way I can spend many consecutive hours, hasn't been as effortless for me. So, being the word geek I am, I distracted myself for a while late Monday night by fooling around with anagrams and palindromes. Harmless, right? 

In very little time, I learned how excessive can change into obsessive and oppressive. When I tried to return to my reading after my visit to anagram/palindrome land, I found myself messing with many of the words on the page. If the author used the word dais, I saw the word "said". When a character mentioned his Mom my mind went to Dad (& Pop). I looked at my watch - 45 minutes had gone by and I'd read (dear) only two pages (gapes). I decided it was (saw) time (emit) for bed. I did (uh-oh) not (ton) blog (glob). See what I mean (name)? My lame attempts to be facile aside, I am fully aware how this can be a serious mental problem for some. I was honestly disturbed when I went to sleep Monday night.

Since my ability to be focused is one of my strengths, I was relieved when this mental chatter let up a little on Tuesday and a little more today; my reading concentration is returning. But I did get a brief glimpse of something that gave me real pause.