In Focus

In a world filled with distractions, it is such a welcome and rare treat these days to be focused on one thing.  How many times have I been at meetings where people are surreptitiously reading emails on their phones instead of listening to a speaker?  Or driving in the car while talking on the phone?  I've read that when we are fully present to a meal, we tend to chew more slowly, savoring the flavors and textures, and consequently eating less.  When I honor the moment, the person speaking, the meal in front of me, my senses become heightened.  I'm more alert.  I observe more.  So it was when Larry and I took a walk in our neighborhood one recent evening.  Quietly walking side by side allowed us to be fully present to each other and to our environment.  At one point along our route, Larry commented about the beauty of a male cardinal as it flew to a lilac bush, while I offered the observation a little later that the chickadees were certainly chattering.  Slowing down, honoring the moment, being present to another person, and savoring the blessing of Now are gifts I can give myself and, in turn, to others.