Last week, I got distracted. Yesterday, I got distracted. And guess what? Today, I have already gotten distracted. More than once. I will get distracted tomorrow, I'm sure!
When I was a kid, the teacher would call role in school. You were either present (aka, here) or absent (aka, not here) If you received too many "absents" in school, that was NOT good. Being present was always good. Today, being present seems optional. If you get someone's full attention, you're either Jimmy Kimmel or an inanimate object known as the iPhone.
I've noticed lately how I've let distractions get the best of me. I can be thinking of one thing and that reminds me of something else and soon, I'm down another rabbit trail. In all fairness, let's not forget squirrels in the discussion. Every time I quickly change the focus in a conversation with my husband, he yells "SQUIRREL!" Yep, if there were a distraction ranking, I would be right up there with the best of 'em. I'm not proud of this. I've been asking God for help with FOCUS. Being fully present.
Being present is much more than just showing up for something. It's being engaged and involved. I find it interesting how our society hates going to meetings. We seem bored when we have to listen to someone for any period of time. We give ourselves permission to escape to our personal dream world. Our bodies are present; our minds are elsewhere. Absent due to distractions. AWOL. Gone. Unaccounted for. Do you have a clue that others notice your AWOL-ness? What if you attended every meeting being fully engaged, a good listener and an active contributor?
Can we ever get ride of all our distractions? No. But we can minimize them. Take note of the things that take you away from the present. Texts? News? Sports? Emails? Photos? Facebook? Twitter? Calls? Worry? Anxiety? Day dreaming? Name your distractors. Secondly, invite God to help you. God delights in helping us be present. Being present is about loving and honoring those in our midst. God's all about that. Read the Gospels. Note how Jesus interacted with people. He listened well. He was filled with compassion. He prayed. He cared. What a model to follow!
I've heard it said that distraction is just another meaningless message to keep you from paying attention to all of the issues that really matter. (Creative Commons) What can you do now to minimize your distractions? Will you continue to allow them to rule over your relationships and your work? Being fully present will change you, your work and your relationships. Who doesn't want that?
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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