Apr 22 2013

Paul Williams

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Mindfulness

WATCH – REPAIR

WATCH – REPAIR

 

My last blog was about time. Today I’d like to share some thoughts about  “Watch repair”. Sounds like I’ve got a ‘tick-tock tick doesn’t it?  I’m not talking about fixing something strapped to your wrist.  I’m talking about correcting, adjusting, sfine-tuning the way we look at life.

“Watch your mouth!” is a parental mantra. At least it was in my house. I heard it when talking back or being disrespectful to my mother. Most kids hear it when they’re experimenting with colorful language.

Watch your mouth.

These days I watch my mouth for a couple of important reasons. In recovery I was led to believe that restraint of pen and tongue would improve my life and the lives of the people with whom I’d previously shared my occasional disdain. Hmm.  “Disdain Remover” comes to mind. I’ll save that for another day.

Restraint of pen and tongue as a practice was probably inspired by the common side effect of late night alcohol consumption. The morning after “oh nooo’s!”  were often prompted by remembering the previous nights activities. The dreaded “Drink & Dial!”   Bumper sticker brilliance like “Live And Let Live” probably has the same birthplace.   Have you experienced the dreaded daylight drama of finding an email you sent the night before in anger to the boss, neighbor, mother in law …   and knew you’d pay in most unpleasant coinage

Me too. So my life is greatly improved by remembering that the world doesn’t really need my opinion to operate efficiently.  And as far as constructive criticism is concerned I realize that without having walked in another mans shoes I can’t really judge him. Or her. Which makes me think of walking in high heels and that’s a really unnecessary detour.

I will pause for a moment to let the irony of that last statement about the world not needing my opinion to set in. He blogged.

The fact is that you’ll probably never read anything ‘Snarky’ in my writings.  That’s Tracey’s word and I love it.  Snarky being the fine art of pointing out some major annoying defect in the world, press, a product, person, country, neighbor, etc.

Just my laundry list of potential snark targets gives you a pretty good idea of why I avoid using even a negative example.  I won’t say that I didn’t like an album because …   Or such and such a play was lame.  I have no problem with other people doing it.  It’s sometimes great information that will save people time, trouble, money on tickets for a bomb, etc.   I don’t do it because it doesn’t work for me.  It takes me back to a place in my life where ‘inconsiderate r us’ was a favorite place to visit.   I wasn’t mean. I was just thoughtless and reckless

I watch my words.  There’s another reason.

My choice of words is important to me.  I’m a believer in the mystical, some call it magical thinking world of “What you say the universe hears!”  And delivers eventually. It’s new age philosophy but the thinking has been around for decades.  What we dwell upon we create.  Manifest.  The “I’m not gonna get that job so why bother applying?” thought is to me a form of prayer.  Thoughts become things. There’s some interesting support of this thinking in the world of Quantum Theory Physics.   By simply observing sub atomic particles it was discovered the particles were affected.  In fact the particles were unseen and there was merely evidence of them having been there.   Or was it??

Okay, now I’m way in over my head.  I have a high school education and there’s some talk that it was acquired by suspicious means.  But, I’m living proof that certain habits I’ve adopted are lovingly constructive and beneficial to my life and there are indeed other habits that were problematic, sometimes destructive and better left behind.  For the most part they’re behind me.

So I watch my words.  Am careful to say what I believe is true and if I turn to the Big Amigo with a request I’m careful to include the phrase, “This or something better for the good of all concerned!

In the oddest twist to this story my “Watch Repair” service sometimes is most effective when it’s the work of a friend, co-worker of family member.  The person who loves me enough to point out that I need to “Watch your behavior.  You’re being a little pushy here or ignoring a problem that needs attention there.  That little nudge that reminds me to step away from the ego based activities and look closely at the way I’m treating the world today.  A trusted mentor used to ask me “How are you treating the world today?”  I’m happy to report I’m dong a little better.   Watch Repair has remained an effective tool through the years and has led me … once again … to this Perfect Now in Gratitude & Trust.

 

 

 

 

Paul Williams

Paul Williams is a singer, songwriter, actor, recovery advocate and has been a fixture on the American cultural scene since the seventies. His book Gratitude and Trust is now available.