Distracted Driving

Last week I embarked on a familiar journey towards the state’s capital for a monthly board meeting. To relate that I have made this trip hundreds of times would be an understatement. In other words, if you had asked me, I would have asserted that I could make the trip with my eyes closed.

Except for the fact that driving with your eyes closed is dangerous.

During the drive, I started mentally working on my committee presentation. I tend to practice things in my head repeatedly if I am nervous or unsure. On this day, however, I was neither nervous nor unsure, and yet, flying over 75 miles-per-hour down the interstate, I found myself thinking about the upcoming meeting. Factor in my loathing of being late and the fact that I left the house 10 minutes past my usual time, my mind had a carnival of thoughts swirling around.

Suddenly, something pricked my unconscious to look up at the exit sign looming large. To my dismay, I discovered that, not only did I miss my exit onto the next interstate, but I had traveled at least 10 miles the wrong way and would need to find a way to turn around.

How did that happen?

I don’t do that. I don’t miss that big turn. Ever.

The logical voice inside my brain scolded me with two words: 

Distracted Driving.

What? No! NOT ME. I wasn’t texting, putting on lipstick, eating ice cream. I was driving a well-traveled route. I knew exactly where I was going.

But I had to concede that had I not been inside my own head, I wouldn’t have missed the signs along the way directing me on the right road. And I wouldn’t have gone so far out of the way to threaten my purpose.

Of course, that experience got me to thinking about how often in our practice, or even in our personal relationships we miss out on important signs along the way due to distraction. The rat race seems to be getting rattier, with so many demands on us daily. We are inundated with media both mainstream and social media espousing what we should be doing, where we should be living and how we should be living. The noise can be deafening.

Distractions bombard us every day, enticing us to hold onto the past jealously or to focus on the future enviously. And when we are walking, breathing and living distracted, we miss so much. 

• We miss the good things that are right in front of us now.
• We forget to be grateful for those things
• We fail to recognize when we get it right because we are so afraid of getting it wrong
• We fail to praise ourselves for each step forward
• Instead we focus on the mistakes and have anxiety of the fallout

In other words…Distractions keep you from being present. 

Being present in each moment of your life validates you.

Now. Not in the future.

You have worked hard, made good choices and bad choices (like us all). You may not be where you want to be. You may not have all you want to have. But by focusing on what you have lost or what is to come, you forget about what you have now.

How are some ways to stay in the present?

• Meditation : this can be clearing your mind and listening to imagery or music or it could be praying. But taking the time to focus on the present through some type of meditation is a step towards grounding
• Practice deep breathing when stressed. Future worry and fear of the unknown can cause anxiety. Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth can slow that anxiety and help you focus
• Practice Gratefulness: Before going to sleep every night I thank God for three things that happened on that day for which I am grateful. 

Don’t miss important signs on your journey. Learn to remain in the present and recognize your self in a positive light.