Am I paying attention?

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Am I paying attention? I mean does my life feel comfortable, always the same, predictable, boring, nothing new? Have I been to a movie, to a play, to a concert or performance - been to church? Have I tried a different drink in my favorite coffee shop? A different entree from my favorite restaurant? A walk home from the Y, or from the post office or from anyplace?

Have I ever found a hymn in my head in the middle of the day or heard the phone ring just before it actually did? Have I ever started singing "hey you, chitty, chitty bang bang, for no reason? (Sorry, that was mean - quick, think of another song!) Have I ever had one sock slip down on my ankle just prior to standing and walking up the aisle of a church? Have I ever forgotten my phone number or my zip code when the person at the cashier desk asked for one or the other?

Have I ever noticed the woman in front of me fumbling for coins in her purse and been annoyed that she's taking so long? Have I ever made a joke about being blind and then realized that was an inappropriate subject for joking?

Sometimes, sometimes, yes. I don't have a favorite coffee shop. Not often. Hardly ever. Yes, yes, yes, yes on both. Yes, yes. Yes. Get all that? - don't go back!!

Maybe if I was paying attention, I wouldn't feel comfortable all of the time, or ever bored, or predictable or seeking something new but rather seeking something lastingly important to the existence as a child of God. Maybe I would remember, more than just a moment, the real live people to whom I've sent the gifts of water, or a goat, or a micro-loan. Maybe thoughts of favorite coffee drinks and meals would bring to mind those without those luxuries that I perhaps sometimes consider necessities. Maybe a walk would give me a new perspective and an idea of what my Creator would like for me to see in a day.

Maybe when I forget a zipcode or a phone number of my own, I could relax and realize that's normal, not an omen of a foreboding memory disease. Maybe if I was paying attention to the woman in line fumbling with her change, I would think not that she is slow but that she is searching for the last pennies she owns to pay for that quart of milk in front of her. Maybe I should be praying for her and figuring some way to help the poor in my community. Maybe if I was paying better attention, I would not slip and think of an inappropriate comment about someone's disability or life situation.

Advent has my attention this year and is feeling like the season of self- examination, maybe that's supposed to be in Lent and not in Advent......but when I realize how the material costs of "preparing for Christmas" take over my waking hours, I can't help but think also that in "preparing for the Christ child" I should be giving more financially and personally to the lives of those who may never, ever even have a moment to consider boredom, or poverty, or God.

How about you? Are you considering anonymously "gifting" someone in some way that will improve their daily living? It seems a right and proper thing to do in this season of Advent; perhaps a more authentic activity while preparing for the birth of Christ.