Last week, I had a close call with my daughter.
It started out like any typical week. My partner had been traveling almost nonstop for the past month, and whether we liked it or not, we were settling into a routine without him. With school and various activities, our days sped by. However, come evening, we were all feeling the strain. Around 6 p.m., our collective crabbiness peaked.
Last Wednesday, I took the kids upstairs to get them ready for bed. My daughter had been nursing a slight stomach ache throughout the day, but she seemed fine—joking and playing as usual. I knew she was exhausted, but we still had a good hour and a half before her usual bedtime of 8 p.m. I ran her a bath and left the room to help my son with his shower.
At almost four years old, I felt more comfortable leaving her alone in the tub for a couple of minutes. Balancing both baths and showers felt like a necessary multitasking feat at the end of a long day. I adore my kids, but by that hour, I was completely drained. Bath time had morphed into just another task on my to-do list, and I often rushed through it.
So, I stepped out for just two minutes to get my five-year-old into the shower. As I did, I noticed a ping from my phone: an email from a friend. There was no urgency in responding, but inexplicably, I felt compelled to reply right then and there.
In those two minutes, my daughter, tired from the warm water, had drifted off to sleep—sitting upright against the tub’s edge. I returned and, thank goodness, she was still breathing. I panicked and called her name, shaking her gently. She didn’t wake up right away, but I quickly lifted her out of the water and carried her to her room, watching her sleep peacefully. In about 15 minutes, she woke up, completely oblivious to the peril she had just escaped.
I felt a wave of disbelief wash over me.
Lately, I’ve noticed how hard it has become to focus on a single task. This isn’t just my struggle—it’s a reflection of our fast-paced culture, especially since becoming a parent in the age of smartphones and tablets. My inability to concentrate terrifies me, and that night, it nearly cost me everything. In just a few minutes—seconds, really—my life could have changed forever. I often find myself cramming too much into those short spans of time.
We live in an era that pushes us to maximize our efficiency, cramming homework, meetings, social media, and a thousand other tasks into our days. Sometimes, I feel like we’re multitasking ourselves right out of enjoyment.
When we start viewing our lives as a series of tasks to complete, we lose the essence of truly being present. It’s as if our bodies are here, but our minds are elsewhere. People often communicate in shorthand because we’re living that way, and I’m guilty of it too. But that near-miss moment was a wake-up call for me. I’ve decided to embrace doing less. Everything might take longer, but it’s worth it to give my full attention to whatever I’m doing first.
People often discuss distracted driving, but what about distracted living? It leaves us feeling unfulfilled and, as I learned, it can even be dangerous.
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In summary, it’s time to slow down and focus on what really matters.