I learned a good lesson last night about focusing on one thing.
Not for the first time, I was talking with a friend on the phone while fiddling around with my computer. Generally, I don’t do this but every now and then my focus becomes divided. Last night it came crashing down on me.
Prior to the call, I was working on a computer that I plan to sell on eBay. I was cleaning out the files, writing down its specs and preparing it for photography when my friend called for our weekly chat. We are both members of ACA, so I typically concentrate solely on the conversation we are having.
While listening to my fellow traveler, I noticed a plastic film covering the tempered glass on the outside of the computer tower. With one hand holding my phone, I used my other hand to start peeling the plastic. All of a sudden, the glass partition fell to the ground and splintered into a million pieces. I had forgotten that it wasn’t screwed to the chassis, but held on by magnetic tape.
Big oops.
Finishing the call (which I wasn’t really present to), I cleaned up the mess and quietly cursed myself under my breath. Not only had I broken the computer glass, but I was properly ashamed of not treating my fellow traveler or myself with respect.
The computer will be fine because I have already researched how to fix it with a custom-fit piece of acrylic. It will be better than new when I’m finished. It’s also my intention to make an amends with my friend, today, apologizing for multitasking when I needed to be fully present.
Accidents are often caused by a lack of concentration. And mistakes are often compounded when I don’t own up to them and make appropriate adjustments to my behavior. As I mentioned in my last post, when my actions don’t match my values, there is a misalignment that causes wear and tear on me and my relationships – not unlike a car that is out of whack. That’s when we need to become a mechanic to ourselves. Call it maturing or adulting, we all need to do it or we will surely have more crashes.
