Interruptions

"Perception does not shape your life; it is your life. I am creating my own environment. Minute by minute, we all shape our internal environment, and from that comes the happiness or suffering of our lives. Using self-empathy and then empathy for the other allows us to hear their words not as rudeness but as an exchange we can enjoy." -Judith Lasater

Interruptions are the stop of continuous forward movement. Technology is a thief of time and a source of those interruptions. Why is it that we are so programed to reply to that little ding! New message... new mail... text... how driven are we by social media that it's our own personal addiction. As soon as I start setting limits, something will come up where I need to be reachable (for my family or for work). My father is frequently agitated he can't reach me because my phone is always on silent. Why do we have to be so reachable at all times, all day, every day? Just this morning, I counted several dozen interruptions in my routine within 4 hours... from phone calls, emails, texts, kids, meal fixin, doorbell, .... the list goes on.

Ding! Another email! (Ok, I know, I know. I can turn off the ding... but what if... I miss something... Sigh, that's another blog topic: Equanimity...who takes refuge in silence (wherever he may be), who is content (no matter what occurs), those whose home is everywhere, whose mind is always steady, and whose heart if full of devotion. (Bhagavad Gita, 12.19))

Children are usually a source of happy interruption during my day. I love it when son #1 comes up and says, "Mom, I'm starving! What can I eat?" Son #2, "Mom, let's go see the ducks outside"... or my favorite, an unexpected cuddle or hug by either boy. All good things, and thankfully I can fully participate, most of the time, anyway.

However, I'm not always thrilled by interruption, the halt of progress (there goes my fire-pita nature again!). When it happens, I have to choose to hear it as their eagerness or joy for whatever it is that that person is sharing with me. I have to choose how I perceive the interruption.