The Voice of Inconsistency

I know that no one out there reading this ever does this...but do you have anyone in your life, friend, partner, or foe, who is inconsistent from one moment to the next in their communication? Of course, I never do it either...but I do have people in my life who are, well, THAT WAY! Of course, with a little closer self examination...well ...????? When Jimmy Buffet sang Margaritaville he spent the entire song coming to the conclusion "that hell, it's my own damn fault!!" Personally, I think it is a dance we all jitterbug to.

I realized, while playing golf yesterday, that inconsistency is a side product...and can be a very serious side product...of an inability to be present with the moment in front of us. Think of car accidents. Ekhart Tolle has been the master teacher at helping people consider what that means in life. If you have not enjoyed his work or are unfamiliar with him, then please consider this simple example. You are in a hurry and you run into the house, keys in hand, to get something you forgot. You set your keys down and then spend an extra five minutes looking for them before you can leave. I've done it a thousand times...and it is a painful case of lack of presence and a soulful waste of time.

Without showing up, in every moment, we shortchange ourselves out of life. Simple as that. If we are thinking or dwelling in the past, if we are worried or concerned about the future, it is because we are not taking care of the present. Remember when we were little and our parents taught us to cross the street? They would hold our hand, make us stop and wait at the edge of the sidewalk,have us look both ways, and not allow us to cross until we were sure the way was clear. What if we just took today, this moment, and practiced that? Think how different our lives might be. We might see an opportunity before us that we may have otherwise missed. We might get a chance to love the child in front of us, proudly showing us her artwork. We might see that sunset, or hear that inspiring whisper. They say the present is a gift...isn't time we all learned to unwrap it?