Here’s what I wrote in the afterword section to my book (see sidebar for ordering info!) titled “What I Learned From My Summer Vacation”:
1. Pay Attention
I’ve mentioned earlier how my mind tends to scamper ahead of what’s actually happening so that I don’t fully experience what’s going on at the moment.
At the beginning of this trip I promised myself that I would try not to do that; in particular, I wouldn’t indulge in my weird habit of imagining how later on I’ll tell the story of what’s going on right then. Constantly throughout the trip I dragged my focus back to the present, and I have to say that, while I always enjoy our vacations, it seems to me that I enjoyed this one more than usual.
So this past weekend the wonderful choir I sing with, the Cherry Creek Chorale, gave its fall concert. (Did I happen to mention that before?) Oh my word. Every time we sing I say, “This is the best concert ever!” But, truly: This was the best concert ever. It was so much fun. But Friday night I found myself continually realizing that I was losing focus, thinking ahead, whatever. Even thinking about what I would put in this post. Weird, huh? So Saturday night I made a little deal with myself: I was going to try to stay focused on the moment. It was a matter of constantly reminding myself to pay attention. As we headed into the second half it was tempting to think, “We’re almost there!” Instead, I deliberately reminded myself, “This is the last time you’re going to sing these pieces.” And when it was, indeed, all over, I felt that I had truly experienced the experience.
What’s could you truly pay attention to–today?