No foresight, no worries. That’s a motto I’d like to adopt, which basically translates to living in the present, something some psychological experts or gurus tout. It’s a really tough thing for an adult to do, we know WAY too much. Horrible things can happen. Being in the moment makes perfect sense in the mind of teens, tweens and below. We know as adults this is CRAZY thinking and “don’t you know you could lose an eye, an allowance or worse, Xbox privileges!” The future has no value unless it means getting something like birthday presents, a driver’s license or maybe an immediate thrill. I want to live like this, in the moment, the light, and get away from the dark side.
I took on a small project a few weeks ago and got a little worked up over it and watched a few others running the project get a little worked up too. I coordinated 20 Boy Scouts to work at a crab feed benefit as servers. Each scout was assigned to two tables, bringing out salad, crab and dessert and clearing the tables after each course. It wasn’t a big deal, but I still got kind of nervous and hoped the boys would do well as ultimately, they were my responsibility.
Most Scouts had little more experience than eating at a restaurant, a waiter was their model for “how tos”. Maybe they set the table at home or cleared it after a meal. Not one kid was cowering in a corner, contemplating why he couldn’t do the job or what horrible thing could happen. Not even the kid that thought he was there to feed the crabs instead of feeding the people the crab. They were with their buddies, getting to do a grown-up thing and they were happy no matter how many rules an adult cast upon them to avoid potential disaster.
A hot jazz band jams out some great tunes. The guys just want to move to the groove. Ok, something could happen so they can’t really dance in the aisles while serving. This did not stop a sixth-grader from hopping behind a door-width pole to dance for 20 seconds and exclaim, “I’m not dancing. I’m not dancing.” I was the only one to see and smiled as deeply as he was feeling the rhythm. He wasn’t hurting anyone, just getting the music out of his system and moving on, no thought to getting into trouble. He was living and enjoying his present moment.
The evening wore on with no real end in sight. We’re an hour over our commitment. I’m coming unglued but the guys want to help and don’t care about the clock. They start rolling 10-foot wooden tables to the wall and love the challenge of moving something twice their size. They are so confident, clearly just living in the thrill and proving to themselves and their friends, “I can do this.” I think immediately they will drop it. I can’t just sit there so I start rolling a table and I’m a wreck, worried about running into someone or dropping it or worse, getting a splinter. The tragedy! My table wobbles to the wall and I’m sure I’m looking like a deer in headlights.
This kind of stuff transfers into so many things we do when you really think about it. I know in a step class or Zumba, if I just sort of go with the feel of it I’m fine. As soon as I think, “What are my feet doing?” I screw up. Same thing in ball sports, as soon as I think I can’t miss the ball, I do, instead of just hitting it. If I worry too much about the end blog result, my brain locks up and I can’t get my words straight. It’s really hard to avoid overthinking, worrying about what couldhappen.
So, I’m going to take a cue from a Boy Scout if I find myself crossing over to the dark side. I will remember the crab feed, and how in the sea of stressed-out, perfectionist adults, the kids saw only fun. They didn’t worry about making mistakes or knowing how to do something. They embraced the challenge without hesitation, just accepted it with effusive joy. It’s exactly the kind of thinking all of us can follow, to be successful and happy in the moment. No foresight, no worries. Be happy.
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