‘I bet they won’t have corrected the bill and I will have to spend another 30 minutes on the phone chasing them up!’… ‘If the warranty isn’t worth the paper it is written on, who will pay for the repair?’… ‘I think the brown spots on the leaves might be a sign of over-watering, or maybe the opposite?’… ‘Did I lock the front door?’
Cycling through the beautiful Somerset countryside on a coolish, but bright late summer afternoon, my mind had been plagued by random thoughts. On occasions my attention would be drawn to the gentle breeze swirling the leaves on the branches, not ready to give up their presence to autumn just yet. My legs telling me to change down a gear as a gentle incline has appeared on the road. Or taken aback by the stench from a field which had just been visited by the muck spreader!
After a while, I realised that if my attention was left to wander my awareness was being invaded! On most occasions this was by unsolicited thoughts, a bit like junk mail being dropped through the letterbox.
Some thoughts significant others less so, and all the possible scenarios that could play out: water the plant more or maybe a bit less… perhaps send an email rather than sitting on the phone… I could go online and read reviews on the warranty… what do I do if I have squatters when I get home!
However, I noted that when I decided to pay attention to my surroundings I noticed: birds swooping across the road, the coolness of the breeze on my face, the absence of the continuous buzz of traffic noise and multiple green hues of the countryside. Also, I noticed the thoughts had gone quiet!
Curious, it almost seems that having an ‘intention for your attention’ can stop you being overtaken by the junk mail of the mind.