Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for focus. I suppose that's a really, really boring thing for which to be thankful. This gift isn't very exciting, is it? Compared to the Grand Canyon or seeing the ballet at the Met or babies waiting to be born,  the ability to focus probably isn't even in the top 100. However, I'm thankful for the humble gift of focus because it's what I crave most amidst chaos, it's what is most absent in our days, our lives. Would you agree?

This idea of "focus" really is the baseline for all those little adages, gift books and affirmative Hallmark cards that encourage us to "live in the moment," "carpe diem," blah, blah, blah. The problem with those platitudes is that they never tell us how. How do we get more out of life? How do we love better? How do we do better?

I say, focus.

Concentrate. Really center on what matters. Think about who it is you want to be and then behave accordingly. Easier said than done, I know. Children, jobs, bosses, dinner, ball games, birthdays, meetings, parents, projects, promises, bills—everybody wants something from you, right? For me, I feel a little like Stretch Armstrong. Too many pulls, too much running, too much of too much. 2009 was fraught with me trying so hard to protect a little corner of my life with calm that I was frustrated 24/7. So my 2010 is about rolling with it, whatever, cram it in, deplete me, I can't win. ;)

Sometimes I daydream about having my life being devoted to gardening--only gardening. All I would need to think about is tending to little herbs, flowers and strawberry plants and sharing them with others. Sometimes I think about Helen Keller, a world where buzz, hype, celebrity, Twitter, fashion trends, network news is all turned off. I think about Einstein devoted to his inventions, creating wonders while everyone else is asleep. I think about monks who take a vow of silence. Oh, the thoughts that could be thunk in sweet peace & quiet.

I rarely listen to the radio in my car anymore. Overloaded. So now I take the time in the car to focus on driving—staying alive amid all the texting drivers!—and it's saved my live a time or two already. Very thankful for that. I'm thankful for you focusing long enough to make it to the end of this post. Hooray! That's no small achievement and I really mean that.

What are you thankful for today?

p.s. DON'T FORGET: Only 2 more days to vote on The Kyrie Foundation Dillon's bag!! Pass it on!