Yo Yos & Crosswalks

It’s Wednesday as I write this. I’m sitting in a public library, this is the fifth place I’ve been today. And I’m having my existential crisis of the week, which usually happens on Wednesdays so I’m right on schedule.

After I paid for parking for the 4th time, I’m waiting at the crosswalk for the light to change. A mother and her 10ish year old son are on the other side, also waiting. He, focused on his yo yo, doing some pretty cool tricks, she, focused on the light. As the light changed, he shows her the trick, he’s able to suspend the yo yo amidst a triangle shape he created with the string and his fingers, and she, caught between giving him the attention he’s asking for and getting him to start crossing before the light changed.

This explemplifiues what I was thinking about a mere 2 minutes before, what’s the point of all this? Am I just getting through the day, doing all the things that are required of me? Am I present while I’m doing the task? Is there another way?

Is the yo yo trick more important than crossing the street?

Are we here to explore what’s in front of us or to move forward?

Are these two exclusive or can they happen at the same time?

It depends on me.

Questions I ponder –

• What is my intentions behind my actions?
• How present am I when I’m doing it?
• Can I focus on what’s in front of me, while simultaneously anticipating what’s to come?
• When I do that, what state am I in?
• What state should I be in?

Shoot, there’s a “should”.

What do you think? 

Tell me, tell me.