Craig Playstead tries hard to “be in the moment”. But for that, you need to have presence of mind. And sometimes that seems like…well…never.
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About the same time technology started taking over every minute of our lives, the idea of mindfulness got popular. These two things are in direct conflict because you can’t be “in the moment” when walking heads-down in front of a bus texting your BFF, “u r 2 cute!!!”
If you ever read about Buddhism, you know that it’s more of philosophy (or ideas) to live by than worshiping someone or something. Mindfulness, to put it in basic terms is living in the moment or a presence of mind. I’ve been trying to incorporate parts of it into my life for years now so I don’t blink, look in the mirror and see an old man with great hair looking back at me. I need to stop and look around sometimes before I miss life.
The mindfulness part is the one I always get stuck on. With a big career and three kids, the list of responsibilities and to-do’s never end1. So naturally, I’m worried or thinking about five other things when I’m “in the moment.” Which is another way of saying I’m never in the moment.
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How bad does it get? This bad.
I drove downtown to get Girl #1 and her sleepover buddy a pizza the other night and managed to pick up the 1/2 cheese, 1/2 pineapple pizza (yes, you read that right) and even pay for it without incident. Then the fun began.
I’ve been kicking around the idea for another blog for almost a year now and might be getting closer. I’m just trying to nail down the right combination of genius and usefulness. Which is why I’ve been so negligent to this blog. Well, I was thinking about it the entire day and for some reason I got really deep into thought while walking out of the pizza parlor toward my car (remember when we used to call them “pizza parlors?” I miss that).
You know how when you’re driving and then suddenly realize you’ve made it to a certain point, but have no idea how you got there? Like you were on auto-pilot? That’s how I felt. I vaguely remember grabbing the keys out of my pocket and pressing the button to unlock my black Highlander. And I’m sure I remember the lights flashing indicating the car was now unlocked. Sort of.
I don’t remember much else until I opened the door and started getting into the car. Then a smell hit me like a punch in the face. My eyesight sucks (hence, the glasses) and I’ve learned “selective hearing” raising two teenagers, but I can smell like no one else. If I were a superhero, I’d have a nose on my chest and would sniff out crimes and save the day (no cape though. I learned that from “The Incredibles.”).
The smell coming from this car was not my smell. It was weird, strong and unfamiliar in a terrible way. My first thought is “what happened to my car?”
My second thought was: “oh shit, this isn’t my car.”
And it wasn’t. Not even close.
I rushed out of the stink-mobile in a slight panic, without dumping the pizza and quickly glanced to see if anyone in the restaurant saw me. It may have been me, but I swear a family was looking at me with a look on their faces that said, “why did you just get into our stinky, dirty and very un-locked car?
I scurried back to my car where I realized both were black and parked next to each other on the side of the street. In the dark, they looked the same. Kind of. Well, a little bit. I threw the pizza in the passenger seat, turned on the car—which then blasted Billy Squire through town and I got the hell out of there.
I guess a new story when you’re in your 40′s isn’t bad. How often do we get to make new stories these days?
Okay, maybe the idea of mindfulness doesn’t suck, but I suck at it. At least at this point in my life. So when does it get better? It sure isn’t Monday-Friday from 6 AM – 10 PM. I think it’s picking those times in your life you want to really experience, feel and remember.
Like when you’re getting into your car. If not, at least make sure the car you pick to get into is a lot nicer than yours.
- I know you struggle with this too because you tell me. ↩
Mindfulness Sucks is a post from: Shake Your Foundation Follow Craig on Twitter
Photo: Zen Dog by Super Fantastic / Creative Commons
Hi Craig, sorry to hear that your struggling with mindfulness. If your not familiar with Jon Kabat-Zinn I would highly recommend you check out his work. There are many videos on YouTube and he has several books available on the subject.