The privilege of focus should be called the beauty of focus. This post is the first in a three-part series, leading up to a review of a newly minted entrepreneur having the beauty of focus to strike it out on her own. I consider beauty of focus to be a form of meditation.

Wheels up at 5:00AM and a full day of work, I was determined to arrive at yoga in 45 minutes with proper toes. Obviously, the lack of sleep produced a completely unrealistic goal for the evening: hyperbole at its best. Equidistant between two nail salons, I felt logistics were in my favor and there was no line at the second location.

A cool blue screams spring, sandals and all things warm. Ironically, I selected “Gelato on my Mind” by OPI. As I sat patiently, I noticed the bottles of polish being arranged by color and how much time that must take to maintain. The jets softly bubbled and the refreshing smell of the salts lifted my spirits.

Pausing, I realized that this outlandish goal of arriving at restorative yoga in a half-hour was futile and laughing at myself because it is held in a dimly lit room. No toes to be seen. I was nodding off sitting upright and probably would have been out cold during shavasana, anyway. Lack of sleep does inhibits beauty of focus.

Being present for all things allows us to fully bloom where we are planted at the time. I view meditation as giving your mind something beautiful to think about. Displace yoga and pedi for x or y activities in your daily routine. Do we pile a lot of things on ourselves? Does our mind get a break? Do we truly enjoy what we have before us?

The times of natural pauses in our lives (stop lights, grocery store lines, etc.) have been filled by electronics. Try to give your mind a break by noticing everyday beauty. The next post will discuss meditation a little bit more and how it can help us find a brief respite for renewal. Can’t find time? How about when you brush your teeth? Try it.

Until then…Be well, friends.