Being Present Amidst Routine

I recently went to a local grocery to pick up a few items. As the gentleman was ringing me up, I noticed a box pop up on his screen with the words: Thank the customer and tell them to come again. Excited that I had glimpsed an insider's view of the checking-out process, I waited patiently to see if he would follow-through. My clerk did thank me, in a robotic way, but he did not tell me to come again. I wondered why. Why didn't he say those words, "come again"? It then occurred to me. He's at work. Performing tasks that are so routine, he could surely do them in his sleep. He probably doesn't read the contents of that pop-up box. Actually, he might not even notice it anymore, kind of like the standard commute home. You often remember leaving work, and arriving home, but sometimes the dots in between aren't so sharply connected. It can become a problem when we are so busy with the demands of work and life that we aren't present. We live in our heads, and miss opportunities to truly connect and experience the people and synchronicity around us. When I am not present, I experience a feeling of "other-bodiedness," where I don't feel connected. When I am present, I am in sync, even anticipating and welcoming the beauty of the mundane. I challenge all of us to find areas that are routine in our lives, and to observe how present we are as we perform them. As we learn to be present amidst routine, we will begin to see those experiences aren't routine at all! In fact, we might find that these moments become the very fodder for the deeper spiritual growth and connectedness we seek. Seon Ricks realized how limiting her vision of herself was in the beginning of 2008. She credits a corporate wake-up call for nudging her to consider a different path, and giving her the courage to quit. With the support of family, she has set out to use her unique talents to inspire and entertain others through books and new media. Seon is not yet supporting herself on her creative efforts alone, but that is her ultimate goal. View her progress at SEON.NET.