A Watched Pot Boils

It does! It does! You know how people are always bandying about that supposed piece of folk wisdom, "A watched pot never boils?" (Wait, where does the question mark go there? After the quotes? I can't remember. Bear with me, though.) The truth is, a watched pot does boil. I've watched before. It can actually be a very Zen experience, hanging in there with patience as you watch a pot of water transform from still and cool to rolling and steaming.

Okay, so how does this apply to life? Easily! How many times have you been so anxiously waiting for something to happen, and you just can't get your mind off it? Maybe you're a teenager waiting to turn whatever age you have to be to get a driver's license in your state. Or maybe your a working fella or lady, oh-so-excited for the launch of your new business. It's all you can think about, all the time staring at this future you can't have in the present moment. People tell you to distract yourself, think about something else for awhile, and sometimes this is very good advice.

Sometimes, though, it's impossible to follow. I'll tell you what example made me think of this in the first place. I was sick, and it was taking a long time to get better. Lying on the sofa all day, all I could think about was what I should be doing to get better, what I would do when I was better. Then I'd realize that that was all I could think about, and I'd throw myself into a tizzy for not being able to shift my focus. I got worried that I'd never get better if I obsessed about it, but I saw no way to stop obsessing, because ill health brings your attention to it ALL THE TIME.

So you know what? I gave myself permission to watch my pot boil. Whether or not I thought about it all the time, I was going to get better. Eventually, I did. And with much less angst than if I'd kept on worrying about not being able to think about something else while I recuperated.

Peace out, y'all.