On being somewhere, metaphysically

“Mindful among the mindless, awake while others dream, swift as the racehorse, he outstrips the field.” – The Dhammapada, the sayings of the Buddha, Wakefulness

Working in a cube farm, I hear the occasional conversation in which I am not a participant. Usually I block this out with headphones, ear plugs, or by screaming and banging my head against the wall.  I tend to ignore the chatter, but the particular words I heard this morning, spoken over a cell phone to an unseen colleague, was the phrase: “Are you somewhere physically?”
I was thinking the more relevant question would be: “Are you somewhere metaphysically?” And by this I mean, are you aware of  yourself and the space around you and the interactions you are having with your environment.  More plainly, “Are you paying attention?”
I bike to work on a daily basis through a small city and a large university campus. Today I passed a guy who was walking his dog while smoking a cigarette and talking his phone.

What I notice is that more and more people, while physically present, are not there at all. They are listening to iPods and talking on cell phones and texting. Not just the ones who are walking, but drivers as well. Indeed, every time I am stopped at an intersection, I can almost count on the driver of the car stopped next to me to be reading their email/facebook/text message. I pass by countless pedestrians who have no idea that I went by.
Often, I feel invisible, and actually ride as if I am. I expect people to not be paying attention, in doing so, can prevent accidents by responding accordingly.
Sometimes I wish that it was as easy as people wearing shirts or having cars with flashing lights that signified that they were not paying attention.

The fact is that it is really hard to not be constantly thinking about the past or the future as opposed to the now. Even without the additional distractions that modern electronics afford us. Being in the moment is not something that comes easy to us. But just because it isn’t easy doesn’t mean it isn’t important. In fact, the harder something is to achieve, the more important that thing usually is.
Except when you get stuck on the same level in Angry Birds for months on end. When you finally get it, you still haven’t really achieved anything. Sorry.

So if our default is to be distracted, and mindfulness is difficult, how do you start?

1. Slow down
2. Let thoughts come and go, don’t try to stop them, but don’t linger on them either
3.  Do one thing at a time, and focus on that one thing when you’re doing it
4. Start small, like noticing your inhalations and exhalations
5. Don’t judge yourself
Try this for 10 minutes today and see what happens. You won’t regret it.