Stopped In My Tracks

One of the benefits of living past your twenties and thirties, is that you sometimes reflect on incidents that might otherwise be easily forgotten. The value of the experience may even compel you to see some underlying significance beyond the incident, and that, in turn may lead to a valuable lesson.

This morning, while walking my son to school, I saw something that grabbed my attention and made me grind to a halt. I stood there for a few seconds and my son's voice faded into meaningless syllables while I watched. My focus was sharpened; I was intensely alert but calm. My mind leveled no judgments but I was absolutely clear. There was an extraordinary level of quality to my attention.

Whether you felt it the first time you looked into the face of your newborn baby; or while watching a slide presentation of the life of a dear friend or family member at their funeral; whether it's the thrill of feeling like you're going to fly off the track while you're riding a roller coaster or catching your breath as you witness a near-miss accident on the freeway, we all have the capacity to achieve that ultimate degree of consciousness. We can even create it intentionally without some external event acting as a catalyst.

The problem is, most of us rarely do.

I have had struggles this year that have demanded of me a higher quality of attention than almost any other time in my life. I believe the over arching theme, and the real value for me and those in my circle, is that I learn to bring that level of awareness into my daily activities. Each day I try, not always with the success I'd like, but always earnestly and with hope and patience, to get closer to practicing this skill more consistently.

You can too. Start with your health - your self-care. It's a worthy place to begin and you'll feel and see the results that reinforces your commitment a little more each day. A year from now - you may be in a place you never dreamed of as a result.