The phone is ringing on both lines. 3 waiters are giving their drink orders simultaneously. Customers are waiting impatiently. There are people all around that need something.
Needless to say this is a stressful moment and I lose myself in the whirlwind of the restaurant business. On top of all that I have my own dreams to fulfill that are not easy and take a lot of planning and action.
It’s easy to get busy and hurried. A lot of times when that happens it’s common to get cynical and feel a false sense of importance and pride. “Look how much I’m doing and how little they are!”
I think it’s important to achieve your goals, but if your goal is to grow as a human being then your attitude while achieving them may be even more important. If there is a sense of frustration in others, or blame, or impatience, or self importance while flying through the tasks to get to your finish line then may be you lost your humility. Getting back into the right mind isn’t easy.
I do smile meditation and my head naturally bows by itself. I remember that the true purpose is to grow and not just develop skills or self righteousness. Memories of previous incidents that I didn’t recognize come up and humble me some more. My head bows even deeper until I’m walking through the dining room like I’m looking for cockroaches, lol.
“Oh man this hurts”, I tell myself and let out a chuckle. Good intentions and moving quickly is great but keeping the right mind is everything. These are the growing pains I have felt before when meditation makes me see myself more honestly. Times like this make you want to run away and brush this whole growth business off and I have seen that happen before. Being mindful while busy is important and affects everyone around you as well.
Master Johwa has said many times, “First do it, then do it well, then do it fast.” Before I move next I will check to see if I have my mind with me and tread carefully from there. I appreciate this lesson, but it’s the kind of lesson you want to learn once lol 🙂