Stay Alert: Watching for Hurricanes, Watching for God

I've spent an inordinate amount of time tracking Tropical Storm Erika.  At work yesterday, productivity plummeted as we kept a wary eye on Tropical Storm Erika.  It's not like we waited for the update at 11 a.m. and then went back to work.  We analyzed the cone of probability.  We looked at possible rain amounts.  We tried to remember which side of the storm is the more destructive side.

I have a vision of God saying, "You know, if you spent half the time that you've spent on this storm on the look-out for me--why think of how your life would be different!"

I always try to be mindful of how I spend my time, but I'm not always successful.  Often I say, "Hey, I've spent a lot of time on Internet sites that don't nourish me"--but it's after I've spent more time than I would like on those sites.  Sigh.

As I do an inventory of my days, I realize how much more I could work writing opportunities into my day.  I would like to remember to stretch every time I get up from my chair.  I'd like to pray more.

There's so much to distract us.  Again and again, I lose patience with myself and say, "Why is this so hard for you?"

As I analyze my frazzled, fractured attention span during approaching tropical systems, I realize that this state of mind is becoming more common.  It's not just during hurricane season. 

I think about my spin class experiences--it's easy for me to lose focus.  But my spin class instructor always calls us back.

A friend of mine talks about her frustration living in the center of a German town (Heidelberg?).  She talks about the church bells going off every 15 minutes and how that frustrated her.  I know that many people likely tune out the bells.  I like to think that I would use them to center my attention.

I could do something similar with alerts on my computer or a chime on my watch.  But my ultimate goal is to be mindful without the reminder.