In the Moment

It's hard to live in the moment. It's hard to stay focused on the thing you're doing, and not have your mind wander to something else. It's especially difficult to live in the moment when you have done something a million times. How many people focus on the laundry while they're doing it? How many people register the wetness of the clothes when they're moving them from washer to dryer? How many people appreciate the soft warmth of the clothes when they come out of the dryer? How many people take the time to fold a shirt and stand back to look at the neat little shirt package they have created?

I have been cantoring at church for a few years now. I'm one of the more relaxed cantors because I have a lot of musical experience, and I can usually handle a curve ball here and there, no problem. In fact, if truth be told, sometimes my mind wanders a little while I'm working, especially when the songs are familiar. I kinda just snap to attention when the intro to the song starts, and when it's all over, I can lapse back into my thoughts. I'm not saying I do this all the time, I'm just saying that it happens now and then. I don't always stay in the moment.

The cantors have a rotation going where each cantor sings Saturday evening mass once every seven weeks or so. Last week was my week. I try to get there about a half hour before mass so I can go over the songs with the organist (he plays only on Saturday nights), but I did not have that luxury last Saturday. I got caught in traffic on the way there and made it to church with about 5 minutes to spare before mass. There were a number of songs I had never seen before, and some musical tidbits I knew I was going to have to figure out on the fly. It was a little nerve-wracking, but the payoff was this: I was "in the moment" the whole time. When I sang each song, I was concentrating on each and every note, every phrase, every word. And more than that, I was aware of how I was leading the congregation. I made more of a connection with them because I was leaning on them for help and encouragement, and they came through brilliantly.

I doubt if anyone noticed anything was different. I doubt if anyone noticed I was working harder than usual, or that I was more focused. I'm sure the end result was similar to the end result the congregation gets every week, from all the cantors. But being "in the moment" isn't about the end result. In fact, it's got absolutely nothing to do with that. It's about the experience of the process--while it's happening. It's being able to stand in line at the supermarket and just stand in line. It's the ability to take an every day event and make it the focal point of your life, even for ten minutes. It's the ability to enrich every experience with your full participation. So I'm making a conscious effort to do that more often, and not just when traffic (or anything else) forces me to.

Living in the moment is also about not dwelling on the past, but that's a lesson for another day...

~Hero