Pay ATTENTION!

"She broke up with me.  She said I was too attentive...whatever that means"

 

For a while I thought my name was Pay Attention.  It has taken years of hard work to be more focused and in the moment. 

My first moment that I can recall of zoning out was in kindergarten.  We were given a piece of paper with a line on it about 3 inches from the bottom.  The instructions were NOT to draw beyond the line.  I never heard the teacher. I was thinking, "What is this pesky line doing here and how can I incorporate it into the drawing."

I ripped my side mirror off my car when I was in college.  Should have paid attention to the garage door opening.  And just recently I broke our bedroom door when I walked right into it while looking the other way.  I didn't say my focus wasn't a work in progress.

Recently I was invited to a conference for teachers from around Alaska.  There was about 400 people present and I was invited to sell my books during the lunch break.  There were awards given for teachers who have went above and beyond typical duties.  The sad thing....no one was paying attention.

There stood a woman who had spent a lot of time determining who was worthy of the award, who should receive it.  She prepared a beautiful speech highlighting the qualities of each recipient but no one really heard her.  It was sad. 

Let's make a pact to pay attention to each other.  No, texting while driving doesn't count!  When someone is talking to you look at them.  Not at your phone, or over their shoulder to see it anyone more interesting is coming along.  Just look them in the eye and listen.  We live in a world full of distractions.  We could all use a bit more practice in paying attention.