Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Reminders

It continues to amaze me every day how often I'm reminded to return to the present and what I'm actually doing, or where the best place for my attention is. There are so many examples every day.

Driving seems to be particularly adept at this. It could be the deer or fox or chipmunk that dash across the road. When I come to a stop sign, I bring my attention back to the give and take. As I approach cyclists I'm careful to ensure both of us are safe. Backing out of the driveway as I watch for cars, bikes, and people walking.
In meetings at work occasionally I'll drift and suddenly realize I have to reconstruct the last minute or so while still listenting to the current conversation. Better to have just stayed present.

Using a knife to cut up fruits or vegetables. Shaving. Eating an ice cream cone on a warm day and paying attention to the melting. Even something as simple as the short interaction with the people ringing up your food at the grocery store and sharing a brief smile and how's your day.

While running, every big rock and root is a reminder to pay attention to where to plant your foot. In the pool, counting strokes, counting laps, and planning your next breath.


I'm also frequently reminded to stay with what is. When I start planning what I'm going to do with the tax refund
and the new tech toy I'm going to get, as soon as that check arrives, my car will suddenly have engine trouble and there goes to the tech toy. This happened recently with a lease I signed - while waiting for the landlord to return a signed copy I gave 30-days notice as my current rental. And guess what, the property I was going to rent is suddenly up for sale.

Maybe it's reminding myself of something I want to say to a friend the next time I see them, and as soon as I show up, something else becomes more important. Or looking forward to a favorite menu item as a local restaurant and then finding out they are out.


I could go on with many more of both being present and being with what is. Sometimes it's annoying - most of the time though I am entirely grateful to have these reminders.

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