I’ve written about living in the moment; focusing on the here and now rather than mulling over the past or worrying about the future. Our attention spans can be short, and many times we’re thinking about our next moves well before we need to.
This subject recently came to mind after I attended a baseball game at Yankee Stadium with my son and daughter-in-law. The event was a Father’s Day gift from Andrew and Nikki, and it was a wonderful experience. We had terrific seats courtesy of Nikki’s employer. And we got to see a great game with lots of action and stellar performances.
What got me thinking about the topic for this post was that a lot of people left well before the end of the game. To be fair, the score was lopsided and it was a hot day. And I know there are various reasons why people need to leave early, such as fulfilling other obligations, medical issues, bored kids, etc.
But in many cases I’m thinking people leave events early because they want to beat the traffic. I’ve done this. I’ve found myself thinking about an exit strategy even as a game is in progress. I realize now how silly this approach can be, because those moments when I’m someplace new, or special, or even exhilarating are precious. Why not make the most of them?
This idea of not being fully present or leaving an event early can apply to any number of activities. It could be a concert, party, vacation trip, family gathering, picnic, your kid’s soccer game—you name it. Instead of focusing on what’s going on at the moment and soaking it in, we are thinking about what we’ve got planned for the following day or the day after that, or that work assignment that’s due in a week.
We all have wandering minds sometimes. It’s hard to avoid. We look at our phones constantly to check the social media sites or news feeds. Also, a lot of times experiences just aren’t enjoyable for whatever reason. We have the freedom to choose how we feel, how engaged we are, and whether we want to stay or go home.
But I’m thinking more about the events that are truly special or potentially memorable and deserve our full attention; the times that we can remember as being positive experiences that we wish we could live all over again if we had the chance. I know I need to keep reminding myself to stop and focus on the here and now. I think I’m doing better.
By the way, we did stay for the entire game and it was well worth it. The Yankees won 12-5 and they hit four home runs.
For all the U.S. readers, happy 4th!
“You can observe a lot by just watching”—Yogi Berra
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