Thursday, November 3, 2011

Multitasking? Take a Moment.

We are a society of multitaskers; proud when we can cleave a second into its millis and cram each one full of tasks to accomplish simultaneously.
We read and answer emails while we run or walk or cycle or cross train.
Take phone calls while we drive, at the same time planning dinner and questioning what to wear to brunch on the weekend.
Eat our breakfast while making family member's lunches, feeding the cat and packing school bags.
We overlay our lives with coatings of to do lists and check boxes.
Make a day only seem worthwhile if every moment is filled with accomplishments, stresses, and further goals.

I too am guilty of this.
Only recently I found myself sticking my earphones in while I took the ten minute walk from my car park to my office. I strode up the hills and wound my way through the back streets until I reached my office with no recollection of how I had gotten there.
Had the agapanthus finally blossomed along the pretty picket fence one street over?
Was the grey cat sunbathing in the driveway again, peering at me with his tawny eyes?
Were the mock-orange trees still perfuming the air with their tiny star shaped white flowers?
I had no idea.
I had been listening to some music, writing a note and focusing on whether I should really expose my feet to the sighted world now that they were emerging from a winter spent in hiding and might possibly blind innocent bystanders.
When I went to walk back to my car that afternoon I left my iPod in my bag. I listened to the birds chatter in the warm afternoon sun. I stopped to take a photo of some pretty blooms that made me smile. I scuttled away from the bougainvillea bush when I heard rustling underneath and saw a scaled tail disappearing into the under brush.
I arrived back at my car feeling refreshed, quiet inside, ready and happy to go home and do a little more work and enjoy dinner with my family, see my boyfriend on Skype.
I realised that sometimes you just need to turn off the noise. Just let the world exist for a moment without trying to interact with it, without trying to change it, organise it, get ahead in it, reply to it.
Just take a moment to let your mind breathe.
Multitask some meditation, some quiet time into your day.
Couple it with some breathing, a few smiles, and some random happy thoughts.
Just take a moment to be in the world, be in yourself.
Just take a moment.

6 comments:

  1. "Take a moment to let your mind breath." I love it, thank you for this reminder! Something we all need to do. I'm going to go take a moment right now, actually!

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOVE THIS. i am constantly reminding myself to be in the moment. and this is actually the second post i have read today with a similar topic. must be a sign and a GREAT reminder. i am about to head out on a jog with my pup. i want to enjoy the fall colors rather than letting them pass me by. so glad i read this first! thank you for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a great message. Did you take that picture?? its beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautifully written and great thoughts here. So glad to find your blog through Julia! I'm looking forward to catching up on here.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Agree with EVERYTHING you say. I'm constantly on the go and really need to live in the moment more often.

    Thanks for the reminder.

    xo
    Sarah
    Get Up & Go

    ReplyDelete
  6. this is great, and lots of times i feel 'guilty' that i'm just not doing enough! but like we established, we need to chuck that guilt sometimes. :)

    actually, this is one reason i don't/won't run with an ipod if i'm outside. :)

    ReplyDelete