Life’s interruptions: a new approach
Can you learn to stay steady no matter what’s going on around you?
Do you ever have those days where, no matter what you do, you get interrupted?
Today was one of those days for me.
I was gently surfacing from sleep, in a half-dream state, when my son barged into my room in tears and jolted me rudely into this reality.
I was meditating under my favourite tree when my son, my daughter, and a guy on a motorbike came over in quick succession. I moved and once again got interrupted.
I sat down to work and various people came over to ask me things; my children came to tell me they were hungry or to show me their drawings. The interruptions were near constant.
We all have days like this.
In my case, I could make this series of interruptions mean something about me. I could play victim. Or I could turn the criticism inwards and blame myself for the interruptions. Today, I spent a while oscillating between both of these.
But there is another way.
Another approach
When I first started meditating, my first – and still highly respected – spiritual teacher would say that I needed to learn to meditate surrounded by noise.
So, while I meditated, she’d stomp around her apartment, she’d wash her dishes loudly, she’d run the shower, she’d have a loud conversation on the phone with her own teacher.
At first, I’d get annoyed. I’d get derailed and struggle to get back into the zone.
Gradually, however, something changed. I became more adept at coming back to centre. I would be aware of the noise elsewhere, but unphased by it – or at least, able to swing the pendulum back to neutral whenever I did get phased.
Yesterday, I was reminded that this lesson has value far beyond the meditation cushion.
Yesterday, the curveballs were small, but they were steady, in the form of constant interruptions to my work and to my meditation practice.
And in the past few weeks, there have been some bigger interruptions, too – bigger curveballs that I allowed to derail me from showing up consistently with work, and from my emotional centre.
The lesson
Through my teacher’s lesson, I was reminded of something important: life is noisy. And life is going to throw curveballs at us. Constantly.
No matter how well you think you’re playing the game of life, there will be curveballs.
It might be a CURVEBALL that knocks you sideways, or it might be a little curveball in the form of a child coming to tell you they’re hungry while you’re meditating.
The question is, how do you respond?
It’s OK – and indeed, often necessary – to fall apart for a moment. Sometimes, we need to get annoyed, or to cry, or to rest, or to huff about for a while.
But the question is: how long do you let yourself stay there?
Do you let it derail you?
Or do you see the interruptions as opportunities? Can you USE them as fuel for your growth?
Can you dust yourself off, switch off victim mode, put the inner critic on mute, and get back on the wagon?
Better yet, can you not only get back on the wagon, but also up your game while you’re at it?
Imagine what would be possible if you said, “Universe, I see your five, thank you. And I’ll raise you ten.”
That, in my view, is not only playing the cosmic game – but also excelling at it.
3 takeaways from this post:
Life is noisy, and it’s full of curveballs. What matters is how you respond.
It’s OK to need rest, or to cry, or to get angry. The question is, how long do you stay there?
There’s power in getting back on the wagon; in not allowing the interruptions to derail us. And there’s power in showing up bigger and better each time.
Are you easily distracted and derailed? I can help you create a toolbox that will help you stay steady and on track, no matter what curveballs life throws at you. Drop me a line if you’d like support, or book a transformational coaching or shamanic healing session here.