This morning was like any other morning. I was driving to an appointment, speaking on the phone (using speaker phone but still never a good idea, in my humble opinion) and thinking about 10 million things I needed to accomplish. I was pleased to note there were quite a few spots available as I paid for my parking ticket. I then set off on my errands, with a smile on my face, thinking, “what a great day…I am getting done all of the items on my checklist”. I came back to my car, or what should have been my car, an hour or so later, and my sunny mood immediately took a nose dive. At the spot where my car once was I noticed a sign, clear as day light, stating, “No parking weds 9 to 1pm for street cleaning. Cars will be towed.”. My mind had neglected to read/register this sign when I initially parked for two reasons: 1. I was attempting to multi task and my attention was divided between too many competing demands 2. There were many other cars parked along the same strip so I figured it must be a good place to park, if all of these other well informed drivers chose to park here. I then spent the next two hours claiming my car from the auto pound yard, cursing myself and the universe for putting me in such an annoying position. Sitting here now, 2.5 hours after “the incident”, I have arrived at a place where I can take this in as a critical lesson on the dangers of mindless living. Life is happening now and I chose, once again to return to the present, to slow down and stay focused. I will have to remind myself of this pledge in a few moments, when my mind wanders off and screams to me of all the critical things that require attending to, but for now, there is only peace
