Two or three times a year, my wife Michelle and I go stay at a friends vacation home in the Columbia River Gorge.  Even though it is less than an hour east of us, it feels like we have completely removed ourselves from the grid that we call everyday life.

It’s a step back in time.  A place where there are no schedules, no telephones, no sounds of cars screaming down the street, and no interruptions.  In all the times we have been there, I don’t think I have ever even heard a neighbor.  We love that place!

I recently finished reading “The In-Between – Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing” by Jeff Goins. Goins does a great job of describing the benefits of what happens during the ‘in-between” times and how that part of the journey is often overlooked.  It takes focus to achieve this.

An added value that Goins has offered with the launch of his new book is what he calls the “Slow Down Challenge.”  If you have been following me for a while, you know I usually do a book review post on Wednesday.  I am going to throw a little twist into that for this and one more post.

This will be the fourth of five posts following Goins Slow Down Challenge.  Here is the lineup that will take us through this five post series:

• Day 1 – The Habit of Noticing (Click here to read)
• Day 2 – Savoring Every Moment (Click here to read)
• Day 3 – Focusing On What Really Matters (Click here to read)
• Day 4 – Interruptions
• Day 5 – Gratitude

The problem with “that place” described in the top of this post is that is accounts for no more than about 8 or 9 days a year.  Last time I checked, there were 364 days in a year.  See a problem?

The entire premise of The In-Between is that we miss out on what is happening during this waiting time or these interruptions.  It’s funny I guess, but we know they are going to happen – right?  So why do we get so frustrated when they do?

Are we bold enough to think that things don’t happen when we are in “interrupt mode” and only when we have arrived at our destination.  Kind of like that old “If a tree falls in the woods ….” idea.  Things are going on 24/7 every day.  Why not take advantage of the opportunity!

Here’s the deal.  We will have to wait and we will get interrupted so why not beat life at it’s own game and schedule these “sure to happen” events.  Better yet, why not have a strategy to deal with them when they do.  STOP and read that again!

I don’t know about you, but I am actually starting to look forward to the next time I have to wait or get interrupted.  Wayne Dyer said; “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”  I know it’s time to change the way I have been looking at things.  What do you think?

Here is the action plan from Day 4 of the Slow Down Challenge:

1. Decide what you will do and who you will be WHEN you get interrupted.  You don’t have to let people steal your time, but choose your response before it happens.
2. Block out time to spend with a person who usually interrupts you.  Call her just to chat, take him to lunch.
3. When interruption occurs, welcome it.  Look for what you can learn from the experience, and don’t get annoyed.  Instead, embrace thais as a chance to grow.

So my challenge for today; “Over the next two days reach out to someone who has historically been one of your “interrupters” and spend some time with them.”  But this time do it on your schedule and not theirs!

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Barry Smith    9/6/13   photo by author   © Building What Matters 2013