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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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ATTENTION, PLEASE!
It had been a stressful day. Shopping for Christmas gifts, making cookies for the bake sale, practicing for caroling, reviewing the Christmas card list, composing the annual letter, updating the calendar from party invitations, phoning the R.S.V.P. numbers, dealing with telemarketers, finding the ornaments and decorations in the attic -- does any of this sound familiar? As the darkness of evening fell, so did my stamina. Preparing dinner for myself was not an option. So I ducked into a local restaurant and tried to order incognito despite knowing nearly everyone in the dining room and most of the waitstaff. Not wanting to encourage any conversations, I lowered my head and stared at the glass-topped table. Underneath the sheet of glass was an intricately patterned tablecloth of the floral variety. Observing the symmetrical patterns of leaves and flowers was quite calming, and I moved into an altered state of consciousness. Then a loud chortle from a nearby table shattered my reverie. Suddenly the peaceful pattern of the cloth disappeared. It was replaced by the harsh reflection of the incandescent bulb overhead glaring on the glass. In that instant, I realized that I could shift my focus back and forth between the two images. One was calming and soothed me. The other was harsh and disconcerting. Yet I had the ability to choose where to focus my eyes. Soon I found that I could do the same thing with my ears. I could focus on the sounds coming from the kitchen, the background music pulsing through speakers, or the conversation taking place at any of the nearby tables. The choice was mine. As I left the restaurant, I noticed the lights and decorations up and down the street which had eluded me earlier. With a smile on my face and a spring in my step, I headed home singing some of those carols I'd practiced earlier.
© 2004 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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