Morning drive
As Benabar's jaunty "Mots d'Amour" careens from the car stereo, Ben Thu says: "I see a cowboy! And he's eating a taco!""God bless cowboys," I say, "and God bless tacos."
We're on our way to day care and the office, and in a moment my head is lost in the logistics of a lunch appointment, an e-mail I need to send, the timing of this afternoon's meeting, the agenda for tonight. Driving goes on auto-pilot.
But Ben jolts me back to the present. "I see a school bus taking people to school!"
"God bless school buses," I say, "and God bless everyone going to school."
Now it's my turn. "I see two police cars," I say. "God bless police," we say together.
It's a variation, of course, on the old childhood game "I Spy." It started weeks ago as a playful (if not desperate) way to redirect Ben from a tantrum.
But it's evolved into something larger. Now it has a sacred purpose: It reminds us where we are, and through prayer it links us to the people and events around us.
Attention and presence are mainstays of the spiritual life, ways of training ourselves to be aware of the moment and of God's sustaining presence here and now. Stability--being rooted in a particular time and place--is a key virture of Benedictine spirituality.
Through our play, Ben is learning to pay attention to where he's at. He's learning to speak a blessing on the unknown people in his life and to invoke God's presence in the midst of the everyday. He's learning to be present to the world around him.
I'm learning--and relearning--those things, too. When Ben initiates the game, I'm often surprised to find that I'm not paying attention to the present moment.
My day goes differently when we spend our commute noticing and praying. I'm more focused, and I have a gentler approach to the people and events that fill my day.
And on the drive I model something other than my usual stressful response (and colorful language) toward other drivers. Surely that's a good thing. :)
.: Posted by Duane Bidwell on Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Comments:
Post a Comment