Woke in the darkness
of my life with hands busy
trying to organize and do
Mind racing there and here
as if eyes might see
how to control the Unknown
Woke in the darkness
of the night sensing
no pretense of control
to be found anywhere in Life
“Do one thing!” desperation urges me
“One thing,” as if that single act
must change my life
One thing, with presence
mindful awareness bowing
to Mystery.
The busyness of modern life almost seems designed to prevent us from noticing those things most important, those qualities of living that actually add value and meaning to the depths of existence: love, and simple presence, for example. What if our sustained thrivability, our wild resiliency, personally and collectively, is actually hinged upon the courageous willingness to become present to ourselves and to each other, to the sensorial experience of being simply and vibrantly alive in the world?
There is a definition of enlightenment I like: The ability to do only one thing at a time.
Is it possible you might be able to do ‘just one thing’ today?
NOTE: An intriguing exploration of how technology is affecting our lives is available the the PBS site, airing on Frontline: Digital_Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier. The program explores many arenas, however, as one researcher says, “Multitaskers are terrible at multitasking.”
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