When the heart is engaged, unitasking becomes automatic. I discovered this simple truth a few years ago when my dog Rory wandered up the mountain behind my home with his cousin-dog Loki-the-bear.
In the midst of a busy day, I looked out the window from time to time, but continued with a mix of chores until it became obvious that they were not going to return on their own. I scanned the hillside to no avail and called their names over and over. Then I took out a pair of binoculars and looked more closely at the mountainside.
In a minute they came into focus. Two curious dogs, now frozen with fear, were halfway up a steep rock outcropping. They must have followed a ground squirrel toward his home…, then looked down and stopped. They were like mountain goats without the familiarity of scrambling up and down narrow rock ledges.
In a moment, my "To Do" list was dropped. I ran to my car and in 10-minutes time was parked on the road above them. In a voice of command, I demanded that they come up the steep rockface to me. I kept my eyes focused on them and kept them looking up at me. In a few minutes they were gathered into my grateful arms and safe. If I hadn’t discovered their plight, they would have fallen to their death from sheer fatigue.
I often cast my eyes up at that rock outcropping and relive the moment when time stopped. Nothing else mattered more than this single task to rescue them.
This past summer, my housemate accidentally opened the kitchen door and my two parakeets flew free into the wild forest around my house. He was saddened by this, but had a busy schedule. So he apologized, then went back to his work.
Again my heart chose this as the #1 priority. Yes, I also had plans for the day, however, they were set aside. For four hours, I wandered outdoors calling to Tweetie and Sweetie.
There they were, gaily flitting from tree to tree. Flying like *real* birds in the real world. They were estatic. However, in time they became thirsty and hungry. First one, then the other returned home to their cage. Had I not made this the single focus of my day, they would be dead. They didn’t know how to forage in the wild. Instead, they are still lovebirds, chirping happily in their cage. They fly free inside the house for 2-hours a day, and must have a lifetime of stories to chirp about together.
And me? This single priority: to save a life, made the highest priority by my heart, has brought me endless hours of happiness.
Have you experienced the same joy?
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