*** Originally posted on February 5, 2012. Read on if you wish...
A few notes, since this post was made, my Dukie man has passed away, but I still stand by the fact that an experience is much more fulfilling than a transaction.***
I was having a very interesting/enlightening conversation with one of my friends this week about the difference between an experience and a transaction. Every time someone calls me on the phone I have a choice to answer or not. I most frequently answer the phone because I am an extrovert and love talking to people, but on occasion I will pass up the phone call from a friend because I do not have the energy or time to give the phone call the attention it deserves.
Similarly, when I take my dog for a walk I leave the house free of technology because it is my pup's time to experience the world and I feel the only way I can be attentive to his sniffing needs is by paying attention to his experience. What I have noticed on these walks is that he interacts with me more when I am not distracted by the phone or music in my ears. These moments are bonding moments between me and Dukie! While I have a phone or music on a walk I tend to pull Dukie away from all of the trees before he is done sniffing out the territory; basically with technology I am transacting with my dog NOT providing him an experience.
Over the last week I have had many experiences that I will cherish for days/months/years to come. I had the pleasure of dancing with my sisters and two of my nieces and nephews in a flash mob (videos can be found below), I took my friend out for his first two runs in over 20 years and I ran with my running 'club'. I was fully present and paid attention to even the small things during these experiences; they reminded me to take a little time in life to have some fun! They have also reacquainted me with my love of running.
On the other hand, I also participated in a lot of transacting this week which included registering for the Chicago Marathon, Giant Eagle Olympic Distance Triathlon, Run Cbus 10 miler and Cap City half marathon!!! I also ran because my training schedule dictated a run.
While I truly enjoy running, there are certainly days where I have no desire to go out and run the mileage on my training plan. The runs that are done without the passion are what I call homework runs which means I do them because I have to, not because I want to; those runs are simply transactions that will lead to amazing experiences. Although I prefer having experiences in life, I recognize that some transactions are necessary to achieve our goals and enjoy our experiences.
Take a little time to look around to determine if you are simply transacting or experiencing!
FLASH MOB VIDEOS
Good video from the front, you can't really hear the music but you can get the idea. The second video is hilarious too:
Here is one video that include A LOT of me dancing in my MIT jacket. I'm not so sure they would appreciate my moves in their jacket, but hey it was advertising AND I had a few people ask me about MIT! Not the best video, can't really hear the music and the people talking in the background are a little annoying and use a little profanity so beware:
A few notes, since this post was made, my Dukie man has passed away, but I still stand by the fact that an experience is much more fulfilling than a transaction.***
I was having a very interesting/enlightening conversation with one of my friends this week about the difference between an experience and a transaction. Every time someone calls me on the phone I have a choice to answer or not. I most frequently answer the phone because I am an extrovert and love talking to people, but on occasion I will pass up the phone call from a friend because I do not have the energy or time to give the phone call the attention it deserves.
Similarly, when I take my dog for a walk I leave the house free of technology because it is my pup's time to experience the world and I feel the only way I can be attentive to his sniffing needs is by paying attention to his experience. What I have noticed on these walks is that he interacts with me more when I am not distracted by the phone or music in my ears. These moments are bonding moments between me and Dukie! While I have a phone or music on a walk I tend to pull Dukie away from all of the trees before he is done sniffing out the territory; basically with technology I am transacting with my dog NOT providing him an experience.
Over the last week I have had many experiences that I will cherish for days/months/years to come. I had the pleasure of dancing with my sisters and two of my nieces and nephews in a flash mob (videos can be found below), I took my friend out for his first two runs in over 20 years and I ran with my running 'club'. I was fully present and paid attention to even the small things during these experiences; they reminded me to take a little time in life to have some fun! They have also reacquainted me with my love of running.
On the other hand, I also participated in a lot of transacting this week which included registering for the Chicago Marathon, Giant Eagle Olympic Distance Triathlon, Run Cbus 10 miler and Cap City half marathon!!! I also ran because my training schedule dictated a run.
While I truly enjoy running, there are certainly days where I have no desire to go out and run the mileage on my training plan. The runs that are done without the passion are what I call homework runs which means I do them because I have to, not because I want to; those runs are simply transactions that will lead to amazing experiences. Although I prefer having experiences in life, I recognize that some transactions are necessary to achieve our goals and enjoy our experiences.
Take a little time to look around to determine if you are simply transacting or experiencing!
FLASH MOB VIDEOS
Good video from the front, you can't really hear the music but you can get the idea. The second video is hilarious too:
Here is one video that include A LOT of me dancing in my MIT jacket. I'm not so sure they would appreciate my moves in their jacket, but hey it was advertising AND I had a few people ask me about MIT! Not the best video, can't really hear the music and the people talking in the background are a little annoying and use a little profanity so beware:
LOVE the videos!
ReplyDeleteLove the videos!!! Glad you had some quality family time!
ReplyDelete