The other day I lent my car to a friend to run an errand. He called me asking how to open the gas cover door so he could fill my tank. I explained that there was a little latch on the floor next to the driver’s seat that he could pull up to open it. But he said he was looking at that area and there was no latch. I was sure it was there and asked him to look again, to which he replied, “I’m looking at the floor next to the seat and there is nothing like that.” Unable to figure it out, he returned my car and asked me to show him the latch. To my utter surprise when I looked in the car, there was no latch. What? I have owned this car for several years, and have filled the tank hundreds of times. And then it came to me – you just had to push on the door to open it. The phantom latch I was remembering was on a rental car I had driven recently.
I was dismayed by this experience. How could I have forgotten something so basic that I do so often? Well, it turns out, it’s not that hard. We do things automatically, without thinking, and when they are part of our regular routine, we can get so used to the action, we are hardly aware of what we’re doing. We go on auto pilot. If I had needed to fill my gas tank, I would have automatically opened the little door. But trying to access that information to share with someone else outside of the situation didn’t happen. I never paid much attention. And so, it never really became part of my conscious awareness.
We can do a lot of things on auto pilot. We can go through our lives, go through the motions, and basically zone out. We have our routines, some things are pretty predictable, and we fail to pay attention. It’s something we all do. We can go about completing our mundane tasks like drones on a mission. But if we pay attention, if we decide to be involved and aware, we will get more out of our experiences. There are so many people who come in and out of our lives we may ignore. The cashier at the grocery store, the guy who makes our coffee every day, the crossing guard at the school we pass each morning, and others. They are part of our lives, and taking just a moment to give a friendly wave, say hello, learn their names and build a relationship with them, will enrich us. We have become an isolated society paying more attention to our smart phones than those around us. But we can change that. Every person we meet has something to offer, and each one is unique and special in some way. If we extend our hands, say hello, zone in, and participate, our lives will be richer, and we’ll feel more connected to our world.
Today try to zone in. Try to pay attention to those around you. Say hello, introduce yourself, get to know the people you interact with regularly. Be aware, and open up. We are all connected to each other. Don’t ignore those you come in contact with. Today, engage them. You’ll make new friends, and your life with be richer.
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