I'll never forget an experience that my brother once had on an airplane. The flight attendant was passing by, and he realized just after she had passed that he needed something from her. So he lightly tapped her arm in order to get her attention. She turned around and took his request (I think he wanted a drink, or had some garbage to throw away), then punctuated it by saying, in the most withering and gravely serious manner one could imagine:"Here's a little free advice. Never touch the flight attendants."
Needless to say, her words lived on through oral tradition. To my knowledge, this is the first recorded account of the affair.
But why am I saying any of this? Well, I admit that the reason is a connection both tangential and tenuous, but I'm not ashamed of it: I have some free advice for you, dear reader (assuming you're open to advice, and, of course, that you exist). Here it is:
Stop checking your e-mail.
Allow me to add some context. Have you ever been waiting for an e-mail that just doesn't seem to come? Perhaps it is a social e-mail. Perhaps it is a financial matter. It might even be a CNN News Update (fat chance!).
But whatever it is, it can wait. If something is exerting that much influence over your life that you are unable to sit for ten minutes without checking your e-mail, you need to consider why that is. It's time to take back control over your life. Forget about waiting ten minutes—don't check it for an hour.
Okay, I hear what you're saying. "It's urgent! I need to answer it as soon as I can!" Well, that's understandable. Set a definite time, then, before which you will not check it. I've got some news for you: if it doesn't come in one hour, you're going to be in the same position you are right now. So wait the hour, or the half-hour, or whatever time limit the urgency of the situation demands. But don't stew in impatience. That's building a neurosis.
Destiny is decided in the little times, the "small hours" that Rob Thomas sings about in his wonderful song. You will not realize where your destiny took you until you can see all of the tiny decisions you made along the way, every day, each decision like the granules of sand and rock in poured concrete. There are far too many to fathom, but each is contributing to something larger. Be careful what sort of decisions you're including in your life.
Life is like concrete, fig. 1: Your life if you make bad decisions
Life is like concrete, fig. 2: Your life if you make good decisions (this concrete dome, called the Roman Pantheon, was built in ancient times, and still stands today)
And remember: a bad habit is most easily overcome by replacing it with a good habit! So stand up and do some calisthenics instead of checking your e-mail. Now we're talking!
Peace,
Joezilla
"Patience obtains all things."
--St. Teresa of Avila
