Dear SuperForest,
I’ll start out with a fact, then a couple open confessions, and then a proposed cause/solutiton.
Fact: I’m a senior at UCSD on the cusp of receiving my bachelor’s degree.
Confession 1: I feel incredibly irresponsible in that, apart from knowing I’ll be taking a year off of school, I have no set idea of what I’m going to do after I graduate.
Confession 2: I have spent the time that has been spent leading up to major benchmark suffering from an epic epic case of senioritis. (No. Apparently it isn’t just for high schoolers.)
The two issues are very different, but at the same time, very much related. For the past few months, I’ve been asking myself some major questions regarding my future life course and as exciting and exhilerating as it might be, I’ve noticed myself turn into somewhat of a sticky mess of distraction, sloppiness, and fear. Recently, I discovered that the reason why I’ve been experiencing this change in behavior is actually quite simple. It can be boiled down to my simple lack of practicing presence.
I’ve noticed when I’m doing one thing, I usually end up doing about five or six things at the same time. When I’m eating, I’m also reading. When I’m reading, I’m also listening to music. When I’m writing an email, I’m usually receiving and responding to at least three others. And as time progresses and these habits begin to form, I end up loosing focus and concentration and then I end up getting easily distracted. On more of a general scale, it seems as though these sorts of habits are very much becoming a significant part of the chaos of the modern world. It’s becoming normal for our minds to be constantly pulled in all sorts of directions (dwelling in the past, worrying about the future, etc.)
Consequently, as time progresses, I am finding a deeper and deeper sense of appreciation for the art of “doing”. Doing what, you might ask? It could be anything; peeling an orange, washing your hair, watching this video several times in a row and increasing your intense desire to go to India, anything at all so long as you are conscious of what you are doing and are lending all of your attention toward it.
There is the famous Zen proverb that says:
When walking, walk. When eating, eat.
…and the more I think about it, the more I realize there is something so profoundly beautiful in that statement for there is very little that is more pure and meditative then pausing, choosing one thing to do amidst your hectic day, taking a deep breath, doing that thing with extreme concentration, and letting all the distractions fade. If you do it right, you’ll soon come to realize your newfound simplicity is all that matters, and that is everything.
Of course, all of this easier said than done, and it will take a lot of practice. But I’ll let you guys know how it works out for me and if I notice any significant improvements. And if you too find yourself in a similar pickle, watch this video suggested by SuperForester Jesse sometime ago. It’s a good place to start and we can exchange notes as we begin the process.
Yours in exploration,
Carla
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