Operating on autopilot, as I often do these days, is the very problematic enemy of mindfulness – the antithesis of being present in the moment. After fifty years of living, autopilot is how some of us get through the more damned of days because it’s just easier that way. It takes away the effort of actively thinking, erasing the need for focused engagement. Even those times when we should really be paying attention – the car commute to work for example – are done without real cognizance and total awareness of what’s happening.
How many of those drives do you genuinely recall? On how many rides in and out were you truly engaged and involved? I don’t even remember the one I took yesterday morning. I know it happened – I was at the office. I know it was successful – no accidents and no speeding tickets. And I know I returned home after it was over too – but what went on at the actual commute, I could not tell you.
So much of our time is lost that way, and maybe the term ‘lost’ is being too gracious and exonerating of too much blame – so much of our time is willingly given up while we allow ourselves to operate on autopilot. How much richer would our days be if we paid as much attention to our mundane maneuverings as we did to our vacations or days off?
One of the tricks to being happy is finding the joy and engagement in the present moment, even if it’s in the more hum-drum and dull of acts like the morning commute to work. A shift in perspective, a shift in appreciation – these are ways to achieve a happier countenance – and that’s a good way to begin the slide into the holiday season.
Being grateful is more than a hashtag.
Being present is more than a slogan.
It takes a but more work too, and maybe it’s worth it.
