Right Now

I was in a hurry after all, it could have happened to anyone!

Driving home, busy afternoon, lots going on!

As I drive up to the house I end my cell phone call and jump out of the car and head into the home office and get to work. Letters to write, calls to make!

Hours go by and I pull on jeans to go meet a friend for a drink at a nearby tavern. Grab up my cell phone and can't find my keys . . . no problem, I probably just dropped them under the front seat like I often do.

As I walk around the front of the house the car is gone! Oh no!

Then I hear it running . . . and as I come around the corner, there it is! I did leave the keys in the car. In the ignition. With it running. With it in gear.

The car had gently pulled up the hill and stopped when it came to rest against the garage door.

Dang. I did it again.

Some years ago my wife was trying to explain why I drove her crazy and one of the examples I remember finding confusing was the fact that I didn't do things in order and worse yet, was often thinking of where I was going rather than of where I was. Her example was the way I got out of the car. There is a right way to do it? She explained that yes, you should park the car where you want it, put it in park, turn off the car, turn off the lights, take out the keys, pick up your "stuff", get out of the car, lock it, and walk away. Makes sense to me! I thought that was what I did!

Since then I have noticed how I got out of the car. I pull up to the parking place and once it is clear that I am going to make it I go ahead and get ready to go inside. First, I try to remember what I am going to do in there, then I open the car door, then so I won't forget- I lock it, hopefully sometime about then I remember to put the car in park and turn it off, I then try to pick up all my "stuff" and any other stuff that may be laying around. I then get out of the car and notice that I left the lights on. I then unlock the car and turn off the lights and then re-lock the car only to realize that when I leaned in to turn off the lights I set stuff down on the seat. That's ok though because I need to open the door to take the GPS off the dash anyway . . .

The problem is remembering to live in the now. Right now I am parking the car but that is so damned dull that my mind wanders and on top of that I am sure that I am capable of doing it so it isn't very interesting to do again so I don't and therefore I don't do it at all or at least not all of it.

Life is lived in the now.

That is so very hard. Thinking of this task and only this task and working through the steps and not skipping ahead and remembering to appreciate where I am instead of anticipating where I will be.

What am I doing right now? Who am I right now?

Right now.