be here now

I wrote about how not carrying my cellphone might be a way to help keep myself in “the here & now” (although a cellphone is, obviously, a terrifically useful object to have around). I was reminded of this during the past week when, on two consecutive days, in the flurry to get out of the house in the morning, I forgot to pick it up & take it with me.

When I didn’t have it, I missed it, wanted it, felt I “needed” it, & thought of all the (pleasure) calls that I could have been making. But today, when I did have it with me again, I found myself resenting the (business) calls that I had to make: to the dentist to schedule an appointment, the gas company (utility), & the car dealership to schedule a repair.

Interesting.

meditation session, where we spent some time in open discussion of these lines from a koan.

“Here is the place. / Here, the way unfolds.”

It was exactly what I needed to hear today. smile

my husband commented that it seems I am less easily irritated / less often irritable recently. wry grin (Perhaps he’s been doing fewer irritating things lately? LOL) But seriously, maybe there’s been some impact on this goal from my meditation practice? smile

I didn’t take my cell-phone with me today during the three activities that required time away from home & in the car. It was interesting to me to observe how much I wanted to talk on it when I couldn’t do so! wry grin It also made me more focused on the things that I was doing & gave me time (in the car) to think quietly. smile

It would be better if I could carry the phone with me (so I’d have it on hand for emergencies) & just not use it. But – my self-discipline being what it is on this issue – for now I need to leave it at home, in order to resist the temptation to ring up somebody & talk…

is to remind myself…

• to be more present in the moment; that is, to focus on where I am and what I’m doing at any given time

• to remain as single-minded as possible, succumbing to distractions less frequently

• to indulge in multitasking only when it’s more efficient for me to do so & it doesn’t take away from the quality of my experience