My 7 Year Old Fell On Her Face (Here's Why)
Yesterday, my 7-year-old fell down the steps. It was one of those slow-motion moments, where you see everything happening, but you can't stop it. She had a pen in her hands, playing with it, not paying attention to the steps. She fell flat on her face right in front of me and Pedestra. As a parent, your heart drops. But thankfully there was no blood, bruises or bumps. Once we made sure she was okay, something hit me: this whole situation was a perfect lesson on being present. She wasn’t focused on the steps beneath her feet; her mind was somewhere else, probably caught up in whatever she was imagining with that pen. And that’s exactly why she fell. It got me thinking about how much this translates into adult life. We might not be walking down a set of physical stairs, but we’re constantly navigating life’s steps; our responsibilities, emotions, relationships, thoughts, etc. And just like my daughter, we typically fall the most when we’re too distracted to focus on what’s happening RIGHT NOW. A lot of us go through life with a pen in hand, metaphorically speaking. We get caught up in anxiety about the future or replaying the past over and over in our heads, losing sight of the present moment. It’s like walking down steps, looking everywhere but at your feet... you’re bound to fall. Pretty soon, you'll start REPLACING the act of living life... with thoughts about the past or future. Soon, you're no longer driving... at least not consciously. You're using driving time to stress about life. You're no longer showering consciously, you're worrying about next week. Before you know it, you're sitting there trying to play with your kids and your mind is off, worrying about an upcoming bill you can't pay or an event you don't want to attend. Everything becomes a means to an end and you start to live life without actually witnessing, acknowledging and appreciating life as it unfolds in front of you. Think about it. How many times have you found yourself so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t even remember what you just did? Maybe you drove home from work and didn’t remember the route you took. Maybe you had a conversation with someone, but you couldn’t recall what they said because you were already thinking about your response. That’s the pen in your hand, keeping you distracted.