A stop and thinker...

I just finished reading this blog post Round-and-Round by a very funny blogster who I just recently started reading.
The message in this post was that we are often so caught up in the day to day "chores and duties" of life that we miss out on the important stuff. In her case it was playing with her 2-year old. But we can all relate that to our own lives.

I am very guilty of this very thing. There is dinner to be made, laundry to be done, grocery shopping to do, etc... Then something happens and it hits me like a bus that I haven't talked to my brothers or sister-in-laws in weeks, there are good friends that I haven't talked to in months and Marvin and I haven't just enjoyed each other's company all week. Life literally has passed me by.

The post mentioned above does a powerful job describing how we affect those relationships when we engage in this behavior (and admit it people, we all do it). The deflated child walking away is a visual that is bringing tears to my eyes and I do not even have children. But I can see it at home when I don't take the time to truly listen to the happenings of the day because I am doing 6 other things. Or when I rush someone off the phone because there are so many "important things" I have to get done.

I'm not sure how to stop this or at the very least slow it down. But it bothers me to know that I do this and most of the time it never registers just how hurtful or disappointed the affected party is. And on the flip side it has been done to me and I know how frustrating and upsetting it can be.

Any thoughts on how you deal with this in your life, on the giving or receiving end?

And for anyone I may have done this to, I am sorry and I care about you. I am working on it.