We daydream when we’re driving, right, in that quiet space and time? Oh, the radio might be playing, and sometimes a song draws us in. Or sometimes the music is just a rhythm in the background of our thoughts. It’s a bit of space in the day when we’re not doing work and chores, attending to meetings and phone calls, worrying about the news and the judgments in advertisement.
Then we pull into the gas station, where sun shines off the pumps and the few decorative trees shiver a bit in the light wind. A landscaping truck is pulled beside the air pump; men stand about and talk. A white-haired woman holds her cash card, hesitant before fitting it to the slot. Pumping gas: a few minutes of stillness, a moment to let the world around sink in while there’s nothing else to do. Present—for this moment we are in a present space and time.
Except now, when I open my door, I’m blasted with talk. Gas station TVs, commercials talking at me, media overload. Loud voices crash over the vibration of leaves.
I don’t like this innovation. The body is most at rest when it’s in the present, experiencing the moment that is. Even stressful times can be better managed if we don’t look ahead, aren’t bombarded with all the possibilities at hand. At the gas pump, I can’t walk away. The video screen has found a hostage audience.
The men who lean against the truck, cross their legs comfortably and laugh with each other. They’re far enough away not to hear. I want an option. An off switch. I want to lean like those men into only the sounds of sunlight on chrome.
Do you have any moments in the day when you feel more aware of your surroundings? Would you like to share a memory of a time you felt present and at peace?
For a more in depth look at the benefits of being present, take a moment here: https://positivepsychology.com/present-moment/ .