So there I was, on a noble mission—to buy a loaf of bread. Simple, humble, unassuming bread.

I marched confidently into the grocery store like a soldier on assignment. And then it began.

The assault.

Not by the store manager or some overenthusiastic salesperson. No, this attack was silent, sophisticated, and strategically positioned. It began with a seductive wink from a pack of gulab jamuns on the left. “Just heat and eat,” it cooed. Next came the assault from the south—some wicked-looking mixture, salty and oily, whispering, “Tea time won’t be the same without me.”

And suddenly, like a deer in headlights—I froze. Why was the dosa mix calling out to me? Why was a can of ghee looking so… golden? Why were the cashews smirking, knowing fully well they cost more per kilo than petrol?

Before I knew it, my hands, acting completely independently of my brain, had reached for a packet of ladoos. A few snacks joined in. And a bottle of cold drink too—just in case guests dropped in, I justified.

I reached home with a bag full of delicacies, proud of my purchases, till my wife asked, “Where’s the bread?”

Now, before you judge me, think—hasn’t this happened to you? Not in a store perhaps, but with the most powerful distraction device known to mankind—your mobile phone?

You unlock your phone with the noble intention of making an urgent call to the plumber. The tap is leaking, the bathroom sounds like Niagara Falls, and your wife is threatening to use your toothbrush to clean the mess if the plumber doesn’t arrive soon. But wait! A notification pops up. “Your friend has updated his Facebook status.”

And now you’re scrolling. From Facebook to Instagram. From Instagram to YouTube. One music video later, you’re watching a TED talk about how the Mongols built the largest empire in history—fascinating, yes, but does it fix the tap?

By the time you remember the plumber, it’s two hours later and the bathroom looks like a swimming pool. But hey, at least you now know Genghis Khan’s lineage.

Distraction is how the phone works. It’s not a bug. It’s a design feature. Like walking into a grocery store for bread and coming out with three boxes of sweets, two snack packs, and an existential crisis.

So, what’s the solution?

Discipline? Or maybe the answer is this: keep the phone away when doing something important. Write that note. Make that list. Call that plumber using an old-fashioned landline – get the old line back. Or shout loudly from the balcony until a helpful neighbor offers a number or a wrench.

Because if we don’t learn to resist the distractions, we’ll end up living in a world full of unnecessaries. Our homes will overflow with mixture, our minds with memes, and our lives with missed moments…!

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