Yesterday morning, Gentle Reader, I had a challenge when it came to waking up. Later on as I was driving to one of my favorite coffee shops I was thinking about ‘waking up.’ During the past fifty-seven years I have met many folks who are asleep. They live each day asleep. Once in a while they wake up and then quickly go back to sleep. What does this mean, ‘to be asleep’?
Consider, Gentle Reader that there are some indicators that one is asleep. Here are a few.
One ruminates about the past. This is one of my personal favorites. One replays the past over and over, year after year. One relives one’s mistakes or failures. One refuses to forgive – forgive one’s self and/or forgive the other(s). One relishes wounds given by others – it feels so good to feel bad. One rues opportunities not taken – ‘If only. . .’ is a favorite mantra. One nurtures past envies and jealousies as they relive how successfully the others have been – ‘That could’ve been me. . .’ is another favorite mantra.
One anticipates the future. The ‘future’ is the focus. At 8am one is thinking about what to have for lunch. On Monday morning one is thinking about the coming weekend. On 1 November one is thinking about Christmas. ‘When I retire then. . .’ is a common mantra. One, it seems, is always in the ‘planning mode’ and the ‘planning mood.’
One does not. . . One does not experience, much less savor, much less appreciate, the ‘present,’ the ‘now,’ or ‘this moment.’ One is not awake and therefore is not aware of ‘now.’ Test this out, if you will. Ask a person: ‘What are you feeling right now?’ My experience is that folks will first respond with what they are thinking; it will take some time for a person to access and name their feelings (if they can name them at all). Ask a person: ‘What are the aches, pains, and/or physical discomforts you are experiencing right now?’ Some are so out of ‘tune’ with their own body that it will take them some minutes before they can reply. Ask a person: ‘What do you notice about your surroundings right now?’ If you watch their eyes you will notice a ‘waking up’ occurring as they begin to scan their surroundings; as they become awake and aware to the ‘now.’
One is distracted. We live in a culture that values distraction. We are constantly distracted visually and auditorily. We are surrounded by noise and our internal noise whelms us over. We cannot sit in silence/quiet for more than a minute or two. Try sitting in silence for 15 minutes and you will soon see how much internal noise you create.
We all have the ability to ‘wake up’ and no one can make us ‘wake up’ and remain awake. Once we choose to ‘wake up’ we then might choose to develop our capacity to stay awake. This requires us to be intentional and purpose-full. It also requires us to embrace a number of ‘disciplines’ that will serve us well as we seek to build our capacity to be awake and aware. Here are three disciplines to consider: Reflection, Meditation, and Listening.
I must conclude now as I have to think about what I will have for dinner (it is already past 6:20am).
Searcher-Seeker 