Musing…
How easy is it to catch yourself acting from habit and reverse course? Did you try to do something differently for a week? Or, did you think about it? Or, did you want to find out whether I succeeded with the challenge? What is this game all about?
How easy is it to catch yourself acting from habit and reverse course? Did you try to do something differently for a week? Or, did you think about it? Or, did you want to find out whether I succeeded with the challenge? What is this game all about?
Charise’s turn:
What really happened for me has nothing to do with the plan of altering habit. I don’t even remember the exact five things I did differently for a week. What I remember is that I had specific moments of stepping outside of action that is unconscious or automatic to become conscious instead.
The effect of being more conscious about my everyday actions is that I wake up to the moment. It’s like being a kid where there isn’t a goal to get anywhere or get something done.
Instead of mindlessly getting my shoes on to get out the door to get to the car to get through town to get to the studio, etc. etc., I’m considering which shoe to put on first and – stop -- my entire attention is on this moment. You could argue that considering which shoe to put on first is a waste of time, and that habit allows us to be efficient and lead productive, well organized lives. True. But there’s more to life than this and we know it. There’s play, spontaneity, reflection, choice. There’s attention to the moment that can forever shift how we think and feel, like the moment in Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past where the taste of tea and cake conjures memories that become an entire story to write.
Get Fired Up:
Pause at any given moment…
At this moment…pause.
Charise's challenge to do something different and try it out evoked an experience I had with change. It was an early Sunday morning that I met up with a friend, In the course of conversation I was introduced to someone who was going to become an important figure in my life. As the three of us talked I learned that the man I just met does Tai chi every morning in the park. I have joined them and it has added such a richness to my life. I didn't have to do anything different but I stayed open to the flow of the moment and the universe rewarded me monumentally. I thought of this story because the way Charise is holding her hands is close to a Tai chi position we practice every day. Dancing in the moment! What a wondeful image to take with us in our movement throughout the day. Thanks for the challenge, Charise
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example you give, Jerome, and it shows what can happen when you pay attention to the moment. You describe a receptivity that led to a new experience. Ultimately, you did do something different -- not as a goal, but the result of an encounter. I'd venture to say that you not only encountered this important figure in your life, you also encountered something in you that was drawn to Tai Chi. Congrats on adding this richness to your life!
ReplyDelete