The Problem
I don’t know about you, but I’m often preoccupied with something other than what I’m doing at the moment…sound familiar?
I remember my car wreck in the suburbs of Denver. It was totally my fault. Thankfully, no one was critically injured, but all the same, it was both unsettling and costly.
When I told my mother about the accident, her comment was, “You were preoccupied.”
She was right on, because, ironically, moments before the wreck, I was angrily telling my sister, who was riding shotgun, to please put on her seat belt. So, yes, I was preoccupied.
Doing the Dishes
This morning, while doing the dishes, my mind gave me a wake- up call.
I heard the thought, “Just do the dishes”. I actually enjoy the process of doing the dishes because I love the feel of warm water on my hands. I usually have cold hands. Every migraine sufferer knows cold hands can be an indication your blood vessels are awry.
My Life Review
I believe we’re each shown a review of our lives when we die. So, what would I see in my life review? I can imagine God telling me I’d missed half my life because I wasn’t even there for it.
It happened without me. I was preoccupied.
Our minds are like wild horses, always on the move. I admit I create my own blocks to mindfulness. A few weeks ago, my TV remote was on the blink. In the morning, I love to turn on the TV, eat breakfast, and read the news. I usually have a choice. Hear the bad news on TV or read the bad news in the paper.
While I was awaiting the new remote, I was without TV. I had absolutely no distraction while reading the paper. I could be totally present.
Was I happy?
Nope. Something was missing. Focusing on just one thing felt vaguely distracting. I became preoccupied with my dissatisfaction. Have you ever been reading an article and suddenly realize you’ve been totally somewhere else in your head?
This was me. So I started the entire article from the top. Thank you, preoccupation.
I could always take little stickies and post them on the faucet, the shower, and the newspaper.
Or…I could simply remind myself to be more mindful.
Maybe then God will tell me, ”You were there for the whole enchilada!”
Minute Meditations for the Soul 