Diamonds on the soles of their shoes

I think that tonight i came up with a juicy strategy for staying in a centered, present moment state at work.

I was telling a friend how much I want - starting with tomorrow morning's shift - to find that flowing, peaceful state while I'm running the cash register. I knew what it looks like to be in that state, but at first had no clue as to how more to get there. Then out of nowhere a method presented itself: "I want to like them." Yep, I want to practice - as much as possible - liking each person as they come through my line. This focus outside of me can, I think (we'll see), pull me out of my self-preoccupation and get me to show up in the moment.

Then my friend made a suggestion that made this strategy more concrete and tangible and specific - that I think will make it easier to operationalize. She suggested I see my customers as having diamonds on them. Appreciating and liking them can be like harvesting the diamonds that they are wearing from the soles of their shoes to the top of their heads.

I can hardly wait to try this tomorrow.

The zen of cash register

I've been cashiering in this Whole Foods grocery store for about three weeks and am just now getting comfortable enough with the idiosyncrasies of this particular cash register system - and remembering just enough of the four- and five-digit codes for coffee, hot bar, muffins, bananas, etc. - to start to relax a bit and to have some attention free to focus on the people coming through my line.

Sunday and Monday I was in a good mood when I arrived and then really mostly had a good time. I was able to manage the cash register and really show up for my customers. I got into a flow - even a kind of zone - where each transaction in these very busy shifts stood on its own, with no carryover from the previous one nor anxiety regarding the people waiting in the line. This made it easy and fun.

Tuesday I was not in a good mood when I arrived. I was still aggravated from an upsetting encounter with my roommate the night before. I was enough preoccupied with this unfinished business to not be able to drop into that peaceful zone with my customers. In this off-center state, everything was difficult: running the cash register was hard and dealing with the customers was flat and awkward. And then I judged myself harshly for "not doing a good job" - and this just made everything harder.

I realized near the end of my shift that in my aggravation with my roommate - my conviction that she had screwed up and was a jerk for doing so - I had taken up residence in a world where things go wrong, and especially where people can be wrong. Inhabiting that world, I saw things going wrong at work - and especially saw myself as wrong. As I closed up my register, I was convinced that my drawer would not balance and that I would lose points over it. Seeing this reaction really nailed it for me: "Yup, I'm in the world where things go wrong and where you get in trouble for being wrong."

I'm grateful for seeing this so clearly - and for having a job that right now seems to provide clear and immediate feedback about my internal state. When I am centered in the moment, it's fun and easy; when I am off-center, preoccupied, not in the moment it all gets hard and stressful. Now to find ways to move into that more centered, here-and-now state.