What Next?

I must admit to being the Queen of Making a Plan and Thinking Ahead. Having a goal keeps my attention and energy focused. Any chance of accomplishing something worthwhile during the course of a day would disintegrate without my to-do list - whether I hold it in my head or commit it to writing. I believe my list helps me feel confident that I won't forget an important detail or task. It frees my mind to concentrate and be more productive.

It's a daily struggle to help this little girl live in the moment...to enjoy the activity in which she is engaged to its fullest without becoming distracted with thoughts of what is upcoming. It is disheartening to me to see that she is so fixated on the future that she's never really experiencing her now. I am concerned that her attention skills will ultimately suffer if she doesn't learn to focus on the present.

I understand that learning what comes next is important in a child's development of the concept of the passage of time. It also helps in learning ordering skills (first, second, third...). I do hope I've impressed on the daycare children the importance of planning as a means to accomplish tasks. It's a valuable life lesson. The difference is that my thinking ahead is purposeful...it is part of big-picture thinking. Her obsession with what's next is pointless!

This situation got me thinking about the way I live - or don't - in the present...

How much of my time do I spend pointlessly worrying, or just thinking about what I want to - or need to - do next, even when I am not on a mission to achieve a goal? What pleasures and experiences am I missing out on because I am distracted by thoughts of what's next? How often am I so focused on the bigger picture that I forget to stop and smell the roses? It seems to me that the building blocks of our future are all the "nows" that have passed, so it would follow that our future would be enhanced were it built upon a solid foundation of moments in which we were fully present.

Of course I'm not advocating a complete lack of forethought...getting hopelessly lost in things to the abandonment of overall purpose. I have no intention of abandoning my to-do list! My resolution here is to carefully consider whether it is really necessary to be thinking big picture as often as I do, to ensure that I appreciate as much now as I can.

My most satisfying experiences of being in the moment have been during meditation. Meditation may sound like an exotic thing to some, but really it is very simple. Meditation is a process - an exercise - to relieve the body and mind of tensions. Once cleared of those tensions, the mind is free to zero inward with a narrow focus. An effective meditation gives the mind the opportunity to fully experience the moment.

Meditation...I think I will put that on my to-do list...