As my grandpa once said… Were all so busy these days. We work (while eating), we exercise (while watching the news), we try to eat well (which requires planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning), we socialize in person and via a variety of devices (phone, email, text, Skype), and somewhere jammed in there we try to find time to meditate. Even while driving in the car, which in days-gone-by was a time to absorb the beauty of the countryside or take in the sights of the town, we now talk on the phone, listen to music, or text at traffic lights (hopefully not, but I know its true). I really did three things in the same time. But slowly, try to not do it! Now do it just two things In our race to fit it all in, it seems that weve forgotten how to focus on one task, one activity, one experience at a time. Just assilence is becoming a lost art, tragically absorbed into the soundtrack and audible rhythm of a world thats becoming increasingly louder, focusing our attention on one activity is also falling by the wayside of our lives. Why do we feel the need to fill the space? Part of it is that we fear what will simmer up in the empty spaces. And part of it is habit and convenience. If you turn your cell phone off while driving, youll be a lot less likely to reach for it to make a phone call or even plug it in for music (and a lot safer, of course). If you leave behind your device when you go for a walk, youll be amazed at what filters up through the silence. Like any habit, its hard to break it at first, but very quickly your body will remember what it used to be like before smartphones filled our lives. As my grandpa once said when I was driving with him in my early twenties, I dont understand kids these days. They always have to fill the car with noise. Whats wrong with just cracking the window and DRIVING IN SILENCE? And that was 30 years ago! I can only imagine what he would think today. When my first daughter was born over 27 years ago, I relished the time when she would nap on our daily walks. Today, young people spend that time to catch up with friends via cell phone. When I walk with my daughters, I cherish the time to connect with them, sometimes walking in silence, sometimes pointing out a bunny on the grass or the chickens in our neighbors yard or a red-tailed hawk flying overhead. When I do talk to a friend while walking with them, I feel empty, like Ive missed a precious moment by dividing my attention. Part of it is that my kids are older now and it no longer feels right to talk to someone else when I could be talking to them. But part of it is that Ive noticed a shift in me recently where I crave to absorb the moment with full attention. If Im driving, I want to notice without diversion what surrounds me: the golden, late autumn light on the hills; the hundreds of geese congregating on the pond; the gentle, black cows. If Im on the phone, I may peripherally see the beauty, but it wouldnt seep into the deeper layers of soul. If Im washing dishes, I want to notice the experience of washing dishes: the smell of the lavender soap; the sight of the sudsy lather; the warm water on my hands. If Im on the phone while washing dishes, not only would I miss the experience of being present to the poetry but Id miss the moment my four year-old walks up to me and says, Mommy, look at my microscope dressed up like Darth Vader for Halloween! I dont want to miss a single moment. This life passes by quickly, and while not every moment is beautiful from bliss, every moment is beautiful because its a moment that Im here. Multi-tasking, while sometime essential, is more often a choice, a choice that dilutes the moment and causes us to miss out on the windows of beauty that spread out before us like country road.Mindfulness isnt just something you practice once a day for half an hour; its a way of life. Its about being mindful of each moment: Focus on driving when youre driving. Focus on eating when youre eating. Focus on your friend when youre talking with a friend. One task at a time. Its mindfulness in action. Its how we practice in daily life how to be ... here ... now.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 10:10:34 +0000
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