My OperaTwo Songs, and Practicing Under Pressure
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 3:51:55 PM
Song #1, or why we practice
I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)
By Alabama
Chorus:
I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why
I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)
By Alabama
Chorus:
I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why
Don't know why I have to drive so fast
My car has nothing to prove
It's not new
But it'll do zero to sixty in five point two
(Chorus)
Can't be late, I leave in plenty of time
Shakin' hands with the clock
I can't stop
I'm on a roll and I'm ready to rock
(Chorus)
Oh, I hear a voice
That says I'm running behind
Better pick up my pace
It's a race and there ain't no room for someone in second place
(Chorus)[/I]
Song #2, from the Mindfulness Practice Tradition
Happiness is here and now,
I have dropped my worries,
Nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
No longer in a hurry
Happiness is here and now,
I have dropped my worries,
Somewhere to go,
Something to do,
Still not in a hurry
Go to www.thichnhathanh.net for the Deer Park Dharmacasts, then click on September 17, 2006 to listen to a recorded version of this song.
* * *
"The secret is to do more work in less time."
This is the new mantra at work.
Our department is running on a labor deficit, meaning we have not yet reached projected efficiency levels. Because our company runs a gainsharing program that puts profits back into the hands of employees, we have an incentive to learn ways to become more efficient. The more work we get done in the least amount of time, the more money goes directly into our pockets.
A simple equation, right?
Except that until we figure out systems and ways of working smarter, not harder, it is extremely stressful!
It is so funny to me to have spent so much of my life learning a practice that is all about slowing down. Enjoying each moment. Realizing that the preciousness of life is only available right here, right now. Period. It is not off in the future with a bigger paycheck (though that would be very nice, thank you very much). It is not at the end of the workday when we finally get a chance to breathe and rest.
It is in each moment.
With this customer, who would like a cake packaged in the very tiny box that requires a number of folds to make it just right.
With this gingerbread that needs to be wrapped and tagged.
With this spill that I am helping to clean.
With these twins who have their faces pressed against the glass in front of the cupcakes they are going to choose to celebrate their fourth birthday.
With this woman whose sister has just been diagnosed with renal failure, who has come to learn how to feed her without salt.
With this family who is learning how to eat gluten-free.
With this old man in a wheelchair who has just come from Mississippi with his family, whose face lights up when I give him a gelato on the house.
Yes, many moments of joy. Some moments of peace.
There is so much pressure all around to go faster. Work more. Accomplish more. Do more activities. Be more.
But really, there is so much joy in the tiny little things that often go unnoticed.
Like being able to drink water and eat Saltine crackers again after a bout of stomach flu.
Or watching a moonflower grow.
Taking the time to look someone in the eyes with love.
This is part of why we practice.
To nourish our ability to be present, even to the suffering that arises when we have to rush.
Even to the moments of joy that are available in the midst of the rush.
And to nourish our ability to come back to ourselves.
To come home to the here and now.
Please join us this coming Monday. You know the drill.
And if you can't join us, feel free to write to share your experiences of practicing under pressure. I would love to hear them!
mysticmom # Thursday, June 21, 2007 1:15:18 AM