Work as Prayer

When I set the intention that my work would be my prayer or a form of moving meditation, my work improved and my happiness increased.  This practice brought me to a realization that my previous inclination of always wanting to be somewhere else was a mental trap that created no present-moment awareness."  Rev. Dr. Patrick Cameron

The habit of always wanting to be somewhere else is a very familiar human habit, and it prevents us from being content.  It is also something which contributes to anxiety.  If one always wants to be somewhere else doing something else, then there is always discontent.  I find in the midst of a task - especially if I feel it is an obligation -- that I am mentally poised toward the next task that I think I would prefer to be doing.  What irony and what a waste of time.  At one point in my life I went to a Benedictine Monastery for spiritual solace, and it was instructive to watch the monks at work.  Whether in the gardens or in the kitchen or at prayer, their pace was slow and their attention was on the task at hand.  Work as prayer.  Life as prayer.  Whether or not we are religious, a good way to live is to be present to what is at hand.  Setting that intention helps us do it.