In Less Than One Second…
In less than one second….
…the sight of the back of a car appears and I realize the car I am driving is less than five feet away from it. I decide there is no need to look at the speedometer to understand there is a significant difference in the speed between my car and the one that is five feet away. “Better get my foot off the gas pedal and onto the brake” I said to myself. “Too bad I’m not going to make it to the event that I had worked all week getting ready for”, the conversation with myself continued.
In less than that one second…
…loud sounds of crunching metal and shattering glass replace the silence. The steering wheel and dashboard are in a different place. Dense white smoke fills the interior of my car.I have to get out the door even though I get it that I am now stopped in the middle of the road somewhere.
In less than one second…
… I see myself outside of the car walking towards the driver of the other car who is walking towards me making it clear to me that we are both okay.
… I notice that I simply made the mistake of not paying attention to what I was doing and that I am responsible for what happened. I commit to paying attention to what happens next.
… I see how connected I am to the relationships I have with the people that I know, the home that I live in, and the successful businesses that I am a part of.
In the days that followed, in less than one second….
… I stop and admire all the things around me. I linger in my gaze upon the woman who is the love of my life. I slow down and fill my cup with the drink of an absolutely magical life well lived.
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It is difficult maintain an awareness of the important things in our lives that bring us so much joy. Many of the important things are small instances that we pass in a blur. Awareness requires discipline. Most often, the pace of our lives determines our awareness. Discipline comes into the picture when we exert our desire to minimize our pace. To arrive at that balance between moving forward and still be aware of the important things that really matter to each of us. It’s requires fine tuning and constant adjustment. Some people do well at it, some don’t. The secret to success is in keeping at it. Always be alert to how you’re doing.
Well said, Bill, and you add a valuable and doable strategy for each of us as we age. Indeed, our life’s work reveals itself in the constantly unfolding crease between fragrant, small instances of momentary joy or loss, and the ever evolving, active pace of time.
James Jackson