It’s been the kind of month where I want to change my name. Not because I suddenly stopped liking it, but because every time I hear it, I know that somebody needs something from me. Generally, that need is followed by “urgent,” “ASAP,” “I’m not kidding,” “right now,” “important,” or some other form being told I need to drop everything immediately to tend to the 50th top priority thing in my daily life. I know I’m not alone. I know we all run this rat race from time to time. These are the times where the “normal” little day-to-day activities get missed. Last night I heated up something in our toaster and it smelled a little burny, so this morning, before I toasted a bagel, I decided to take the time to clean it out. Can I just tell you? Cleaning out the toaster was THE most unexpected blissful moment I have had in a long time – standing over the trashcan with the toaster turned upside down, watching the little burnt pieces fall out as I gently shook the toaster this way and that. In that short amount of time, I recognized that it has been too long since I just stopped. Just stopped to pay attention to what is in front of me and what I am doing in the moment.
I have long believed that life happens in the mundane. The big experiences are both glorious and devastating, but how we move about our day-to-day is what defines us. The fact that a mere toaster brought me to tears made me realize that I had been in planning and work mode for far too long. This next month, I vow to take some time for myself – time to walk around the park, time to play with the dogs, time to do something for myself and my person besides go out to eat (and I’m so good at that!). This month I vow to look for small daily activities that I can give my full focus to. I’ll let you know next month what I came up with and if they have the same effect. Today, the toaster, tomorrow the sock drawer!
