#4 :distracted

Watching How I Met Your Mother.

Talking to their actual mother. On Face-Time.

Eating sushi.

Smoking weed. Out of a very large bong.

Holding their cats. Plural.

Reading a book.

Having awkward sex.

Playing guitar.

Doing the NYT Crossword puzzle.

These are all activities that I witnessed people doing while driving 90mph down the highway. From my back of the motorcycle vantage, I get to spy on people as we zoom past them. After a 16-day road trip across the country, I can tell you without hesitation…

Everyone is distracted.

Everyone.

No one is simply driving.

So, this is my public service announcement to anyone who is operating a vehicle or bicycle or even just walking on the sidewalk.

Pay attention.

Assume everyone is highly distracted.

Remember that human beings suck at doing multiple things well at once.

And just one small plug for mindfulness…get your ass to a yoga class. Practice staying in the present and you won’t feel the need to do multiple things at once.

It takes practice to be present.

Being distracted is easy.

Being present is a practice.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Repeat.