“May I have a venti, skinny caramel vanilla latte, please?” I asked politely out my car window into the intercom outside of Starbucks.
“You’d like a venti sugar-free caramel macchiato with half the syrup?” the barista’s voice boomed from the speakers in the outdoor menu.
“Um ... no,” I replied slowly.
“I’m so sorry,” came the booming voice. “What was it you wanted again?”
As I carefully repeated my order one slow word at a time, I couldn’t help but wonder what it was that had caused all the confusion with my request. True, a few years ago, before I’d become fully acquainted with Starbucks’ lingo, my order would have made absolutely no sense to me. Yet, for a barista who was immersed in the world of sweetened coffee drinks hour upon hour, my latte purchase had been relatively straightforward.
So, why did he not understand what I’d told him?
In my mind, the answer was simple. He hadn’t been paying attention.
Unfortunately, this is a problem we all face from time to time in our daily lives. There are definitely moments when my kids tell me some long-winded story where I soon find myself losing focus. When they ask for my opinion at the end, I have to stop and admit to myself that I have no earthly idea what they’ve been saying. My mind was elsewhere –– on groceries and laundry and my dog’s upcoming vet appointment.
I wasn’t living in the moment.
My daughters, of course, get quite frustrated when they realize I hadn’t truly been putting all of my thought on them, much the way I felt during my recent Starbucks encounter. When we don’t live in the moment, when we aren’t truly present and focused on each and every event in our lives, then our lives become so much less fulfilling.
If I’m thinking about all of my weekly commitments instead of paying attention to and enjoying the words of my children, I’m really cheating myself. Sure, I might be getting everything accomplished and look as though I’ve got my world under complete control. And yet, if I’ve lost out on the moments of laughter with my girls, or the times of tears with my friends, then what, really, is the purpose of existing at all?
I try frequently to remind myself, during those times when I find my mind wandering to other less-important thoughts, that I need to be ever-present, ever-focused, ever-mindful of each and every moment in time. When I’m old, looking back on my life, no one is going to exclaim, “We should be so proud of this woman who, during the course of her years, always got the laundry and the shopping done on time!”
Yet, my daughters will, hopefully say someday, “Our mother was always there for us in body and spirit. She loved us, listened to us and helped guide us down our paths.”
If I can hear those words some 50 years from now, then I’ll know my life was worthwhile. For now, I need to keep reminding myself to live in the moment each and every day. If I can do this, then I am certain I will someday be able to figure out the true meaning of my life.
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