Premier Longevity

Activity: Visit the downtown library and browse a section I have never intentionally chosen.

Before I arrived at the library I took a moment to reflect on which section was furthest out of my typical reading section and I quickly landed on poetry. When I got to the library I felt nervous and I’m not sure why. It felt like I was leaving my comfort zone and all I was doing was walking through a library. The feeling quickly left when I focused in on the mission to find the poetry section, something that proved more difficult than I thought.

The library has hanging signs that tell the genre, like grocery store aisles, to help you find what you’re looking for. Poetry was not one of the signs. I searched for 20 minutes before the thought of asking for help was quickly rejected from my mind and I continued another 10 before I found a single shelf with a book that said poetry. I picked out one of the books and read a page before putting it down and walking towards the exit. On my way out I said “thank you” and received a very kind thank you in return and the mission was completed.

It wasn’t until I got back home that I realized I missed the point of the activity. My mind was so focused on finding the poetry section that I never really stopped to look at anything else. Not the other books in the library, the art on the wall or any of the various opportunities that could have arisen from a more present focus. My mind seems to feel safer with a mission rather than an aimless wander.

I appreciate these activities for showing me just how much I need to practice staying present when out of my comfort zone and enjoy the moment rather than diving into the task at hand.