By Rachel J. Avery
Hey. You. Yes. You. Put down your iPad, iPhone, GPS, MP3, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, and any other device that ironically extracts the “I” from you. Huh?
Did you know if you spent just as much time talking and gazing into the eyes and caressing your partner as you do your cell phone, your relationship would be euphoric?
Take a few moments to see if you can answer this un-google-able question: What’s my favorite color today? Now go ahead and ponder this stumper: Why is it your favorite color? Don’t glance over at your iPhone. Siri can’t talk to your soul. Hate to break it to you.
However, I can tell you why the color question often stumps even the brilliant. It’s because robots don’t have a favorite color. Yes. That would be you. You’ve been waking up at the same time, drinking coffee the same way, eating the same thing, doing your job the exact same way you’ve always been doing it, and then you wonder why life doesn’t have spark.
A robot could be easily programmed to replace you. It could easily walk through the door after work and interact with your family, and they might not know the difference. Yes, a robot can easily order a grande soy extra foam latte. Your robot training, which started early, most likely around 3 to 4 years old, has officially sucked almost all pleasure from your life.
If you’re still not certain whether or not this pertains to you, or just feel like wading in denial, the following are frequent statements that indicate you’re robot inflicted and need a Human Break:
“I feel like I’m in a rat race and don’t know how to get off the track.”
“I like my job. I work there all the time.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll just grab something on the go. I’m working late.”
“There’s gotta be more than this.”
“What life?”
“I can never get ahead.”
“Change. Why would I do that?”
“My favorite color? That’s a stupid question.”
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
“Something’s gotta give.”
If you’ve answered yes to two or more of these questions, you may require robot defragmenting to recognize that you are NOT WHAT YOU DO and you deserve to know a version of yourself you’ve possibly never met. A version that makes heads turn to soak in your contentment and beautiful aura. I can see it now. Sure, your problems are still there, but manageable; dinner still needs to be made, but you’re inspired to create things you’ve never thought of before; and your bored of your job, but a new career interest materializes while you are relaxed, pant legs rolled up walking on a sandy beach at sunset.
Be Instead of Do
So the next question always is, “How can I be human when I don’t have time to be? I have bills and live in the real world.”
Being human means nothing more than you are BEING instead of do-do-ing.
When this happens you feel more yourself than you’ve ever known. You feel inspired. You feel like getting up out of bed before the alarm even has a chance to ring. You lose track of weekdays and weekends. You have energy to be present at the dinner table and hug someone if they’ve had a bad day. You have the ability to give. You have peace in your mind.
Observing children’s innocent fascination with life reminds us what behaviors can help us return to our human opportunity.
The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz shares thoughts about how we can defrag rooted robot behavior.
“If you observe children who are two or three years old, if you see how they behave, they are playing all the time. Their imagination is so powerful, and the way they dream is an adventure of exploration. When something is wrong they react and defend themselves, but then they just let go and turn their attention to the moment again. They are living in the moment. They are not ashamed of the past; they are not worried about the future. Little children express what they feel, and they are not afraid to love. The happiest moments in our lives are when we are playing just like children, when we are singing and dancing, when we are exploring and creating just for fun. It is wonderful when we behave like a child because this is the normal human mind, the normal human tendency. As children, we are innocent and it is natural for us to express love.”
So the next time you’re stressed out running around wishing you could have just one more hour to get just one more thing done, why not funnel do-do mind chatter into one single simple moment? And with that one brief moment in your life during the day simply ask yourself, “What color is my day today?” Or imagine a question a 3-year-old child would ask you. I doubt it will be, “Are those quarterly reports done yet? The point is to get outside our head, your routine thought, and dive into something simple.
It’s the ride in the convertible with wind blowing through your hair. It’s going out in the yard to appreciate—and maybe even hug—that magnificent tree. If these ideas aren’t appealing then try one of the following 10 simple behaviors to take a HUMAN BREAK.
1. Wake with the song “It’s a Beautiful Day” by U2 in your head. Learn the lyrics or equivalent.
2. Eat oatmeal for breakfast with strawberries or another favorite fruit of your choice on top.
3. Out of the blue, tell a family member, “I appreciate you,” smile, and then leave the room.
4. Pick up one piece of trash today.
5. Pack your lunch.
6. Say “hi” to one tree while in the car. (Relax. No hugging yet.)
7. Use Starbucks language at a non-Starbucks establishment.
8. Secretly skip today. Twice.
9. Find something you already have in the kitchen to make dinner with.
10. Ask, “So what color was your day today?” at the dinner table.
Good luck on traveling the road to BEING HUMAN today!
Rachael J Avery recovered from a 15 year robot career by sinking into sunshine, cooking, twirling, laughing, and writing about life lessons. She is a free lance writer and blogger for The Grateful Pantry and author to a childrens book. She refuses to use an alarm clock. Contact her at rachaelj@thegratefulpantry.com or visit www.thegratefulpantry.com.