Paying Attention

While sitting in Subway enjoying a Chipotle Southwest Steak sub for lunch yesterday afternoon, I finished chapter two of a leadership book, challenging me to pay attention to "what is" so that I can be properly focused for "what's to come". I thought about that, thought hard about whether I really pay attention to what's going on around me or not.

So, I'm paying attention this morning:

There's a low buzz across the office floor, even when I turn off my fan. The PCs, the flourescent lights, a few radios, some fingers making the familiar click-click on keyboards (at least one set of nails making some sort of double click sound), at least two different conversations that I can pick out over the cubicles. It's quiet, but not that quiet, like there's always some life somewhere around here.

Someone just chunked a can into the recycle bin, a fairly singular sound as it missed.

My desk fan isn't whirring as fast as it once did.

I'm pondering how "I'll get that to you as soon as I can" can mean one thing to the hearer, and something completely different and usually much slower to the speaker.

The clouds looked very wintery, even as the temperature broke 70F yesterday afternoon. Today, it just looks nasty. Lots of clouds, dark and full of rain for some lunchtime thunderstorms. The wind is kicking up some of the fallen leaves, some of the pinestraw, someone's hair as she scoots to her car in the parking lot. Hope she's got an umbrella if she's coming back in later.

White Chocolate Reese's Cups are as close to perfect as humans can come with snack food.