Manual focus on
I want to address "focus." It is a term we throw around in life and photography (I am in charge of the obvious today). It is a word that defines a good photo or a good work ethic. We focus on the task at hand, on driving, on our problems, on success, on our families, our friends, and our significant others.... focus is a great thing. It allows what is most important in our lives to take center stage and the other things to fade into the background.
I realized today as I was sitting in a coffee shop that I live extremely focused most of my life lately. Much like a camera in "autofocus," I find the things closest to me to focus on, not realizing that life is happening in the background. In a very determined manner, I grabbed my coffee and sat down on a pale green bench facing the outside world. It was only after a very sweet-looking older gentleman with a walker mentioned that I was "working hard" that I looked up. I realized at that moment that I was hyper-focused. I need to learn to widen my focus. Doing so would allow me to become aware of the life being lived in front of me and open me up to possibly blessing those around me, like that older gentleman, with a kind word or smile.
I think this realization has been brewing for a while because I had inklings of it as I hiked the other day. When I hike, I power hike. I put on my determination and b-line it up all the hills. I waste no time because I think "a good hill is a hill I'm on top of." I rarely stop to enjoy the scenery or the viewpoints because my focus takes over, and I am determined to overcome this here mountain.
I focus so much that I live my life looking down, watching my feet, phone, computer...This kind of focus can be great but can also become a crutch or a handicap. It prohibits encounters with the unplanned or the people that enter our lives.
So here is the challenge:
Take a second. Take a deep breath. And take in all your surroundings... become aware of the people in your life that you've allowed to slip into the background, and adjust your focus for a moment. This perspective will do nothing but bless you and those around you.