Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Oo, satisfaction! Isn’t that a lovely feeling. I think it’s so nice that we get at least dozens of opportunities every single day to feel satisfied. Waking up from a good sleep, ahhh. The first delicious beverage of the morning, ahhh. The wonderful feeling of brushed teeth, ahhh. Moment after moment of possibility.

Satisfaction, savor, relish, these are things that make life rich.

There is a really easy way to get more of that into your daily experience. In fact, it’s the way to get a lot more nice into your whole life.

Slow down, pay attention.

So simple.

I can hear objections all over! “I can’t slow down, I will never get it all done!” “I’m too poor to pay attention!” “I’m paying attention, to my thoughts!”

You know I know. This is one way that I have brought more satisfaction to my life.

I used to use my driving time to do homework (relistening to lectures) or listen to news or talk shows. Both of those things were hugely distracting. There were other stupid things I did while driving. I won’t even tell you. (consuming stuff, reading mail, flashcards, changing clothes; no secrets.)

I weaned myself to just listening to music, CDs, not the radio, where I would get all clicky with the stations. I’d still get all caught up in my thoughts, reworking stuff from my day job, imaginary conversations with people, sometimes even imaginary fights. I know, what a dork!

I drive a fair amount these days, and now, more and more, I find myself thinking of my car time as a “driving meditation.”

For me, a driving meditation means that while I am in the car, driving, I am attending to driving the car. I am alert. I listen to the sounds of the car, the surrounding traffic, the rhythm of the tires on the highway. I see the cars around me, I see the scenery, the sky. I feel my placement on the road. I feel my placement in the scenery, sort of like imagining GPS. I feel the contact between the tires and the road and the steering and me. That kind of thing.

When I notice that I have started to follow a thought, I pull my mind back to driving.

Wanna guess what happened?

I like it. I really value those drive times in a way I never did before. Driving with awareness, what a concept! It becomes such a deeply satisfying experience, not just a means to an end.

It’s different when I am a passenger, or when I am chauffeuring, but there are ways for both of those situations to be really satisfying, too.

How have I changed from distracting myself from my now, to relishing being in the moment?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 08052013