Two of my favorite and most often used "inventions" in the past few years have been the rewind and pause buttons on my TV remote! In fact, I push those two buttons so much that I actually think I'm getting arthritis in my right index finger!!
It used to be, way back when, that I could watch my favorite TV shows, while also needlepointing, reading the paper, writing a letter, etc. because we watched TV in real time and with lots of commercials. Now, we can record everything and watch when we want, with the added bonus of fast forwarding through commercials. You'd think that that would mean I would shorten my viewing time, but instead, it takes me just as long to watch an hour show, as when I used to have to sit through the commercials! Why is that, you might be asking? Because I have to see every little detail! If I like what a character is saying, I have to rewind and hear it again; if I'm watching the pro, dancing on Dancing with the Stars, then I have to rewind and then watch his/her partner dance; if I look at the expression on one person's face, then I have to rewind and watch the other person's expression, etc. etc.
I have self analyzed this phenomenon and come up with the conclusion that I am just a detailed oriented person. I don't want to miss a single thing! And because my brain and my eyes can't pick up every detail at one time (whose does?!), I have my trusty remote to do it for me!
As I was thinking about this, it struck me that the same principle of pause and rewind could be applied to life. Obviously, we can't rewind (if only!), but we can definitely pause: pause when we are engaged in conversation so that we really take in what the other person is saying, before we respond (often) too quickly; pause when we hear or see an ambulance and say a prayer that that person will be alright, rather than be bothered that the ambulance is holding up traffic; pause to hear the sounds of the world all around us; pause to soak in the sunlight, to gaze upon the stars, or to watch the rain fall quietly; pause to live in the moment, without regretting the past or fearing the future, just to live right now. Unfortunately, pausing and taking life in isn't natural for most of us. We rush through our busy days, missing out on so many of the small, but important, details that are all around us. What a shame.
The next time you go to hit the pause button on your remote, think about pausing right then and there to sit still, look around you and be present. The world will wait.
You've cried at weddings, right? At the birth of a baby? And, of course, you've probably cried at funerals, but have you ever stopped to wonder why both happy and sad events, make you so emotional? Even worse, do you often feel like you're the only one? I will impart wisdom gleaned from professional conferences, seminars, books and articles and/or I will blog my personal thoughts. Either way, I hope you check in often, so you know that your tears are never shed in a vacuum!
Friday, October 24, 2014
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About Me
- Ms. Baby Boomer-dang
- Dallas, TX, United States
- I am an educator and consultant, in the field of loss and grief. I love educating others, as well as learning from them, about life's little and big, happy and sad losses: marriage, divorce, moving away, losing one's health, aging gracefully.....or not......death of a loved one, a pet, a dream, children growing up and parents having to let go, etc. etc. Hopefully, you get the picture. Let's laugh, cry and learn together!
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