"If our thoughts and hopes are elsewhere, it is impossible to set our faces steadily toward the work required of us." -Anonymous

I was realizing, driving into work this morning, how difficult it is for me to concentrate on one thing at a time.

I played a little game with myself, where I challenged myself to tune into the morning sports radio broadcast that I normally listen to and give it my complete, undivided attention. I found that I would listen for about a minute or two, and then my mind would wander off and think about something else, usually having to do with what was upcoming in my day or something that I was worried about. It was unreal.

I realized at work that I was having the same difficulty focusing on my patients. They would begin talking, and not three words in, I was already feeling my feelings and formulating my response, and sometimes completely missing the rest of what they were saying. This happened with my husband too. There is no worse feeling in the world than realizing after 37+ years, I am a terrible listener!

I think it's a byproduct of not living in the here and now that our minds are so programmed to wander off course into yesterday, the next hour, or the weekend. It's hard to see and hear what's in front of you when you're already three steps ahead of someone, or lost in yesterday! I had to mentally steer myself back into the present when I found my head going off track. I just didn't realize how frequently that was going to happen!

So today I am focused on listening before feeling or responding.