Learn
Today, Costar simply told me:
You have a lot to learn.
I felt humbled, I know I did many stupid things recently, but what exactly was it referring to?
Trying to analyse what I could have done better today I think I could have been more present and done some things differently. The question is whether it would have been any better.
During the meeting with Sintef for example, I had agreed with Eirik to take the lead, but then essentially handed the lead back to Eirik and Kristian. I felt like they wanted to and I in turn only wanted to ask the questions that seemed most important to me. It's not easy for me to plan things on a minute-level and I don't really want to. But maybe I could have been more present which could have made this meeting more efficient and not a two-hour long one.
A bit later, close before lunch break, a bird got into the office through the window I had opened. Trying to get out it continued to bump into closed windows and it was obvious we had to catch it.
When I had it in my hand, I was probably not fully present, so I didn't hold it tight enough and it escaped my hand and flew against the window again, this time faster. Now it was properly dazzled and Nils had an easy time catching it. He tried to put it onto the windowsill of the open window but it just dropped down into the large puddle of water outside the window. Again, I could have been more present and reacted faster, but at least I looked out, noticed that the bird was definitely not doing well in the cold water and immediately went out, walked into the puddle and brought the bird back. But maybe even this was wrong and I should have left this to Nils? Probably not.
Anyhow, I carefully massaged its throat until it closed its beak again and breathed calmly. Then we kept it inside in a covered basket until it had relaxed a bit more.
Sathvik hadn't slept since 48 hours because of a terrible headache following some cold symptoms and I offered to come to his place and bring some painkillers so he could finally get some sleep. Peer then talked with him on the phone, prescribed him Codein, called the pharmacy, and I picked it up and brought it to Sathvik.
At Sathvik's place I spent an hour talking with him and massaging his neck to help him release some tension, both in his body and in his mind. I think I was as present with him as I could be, but maybe it was not good to offer him the easy way out with prescription painkillers. After all it was his Karma that had led him into this situation so maybe offering him an easy way out will make it even harder for him in the future.
But I felt pretty confident that it was at least as good as Mario's contribution of getting a Covid-test and praying for Sathvik's health.
And strangely enough, 25 minutes after I had left Sathvik, someone named Aditi texted me on Telegram:
Aso, wie ist Du's Zustand, ich bete für eine schnelle Genesung für Dich
I think my response was quite alright:
I'm not Aso, I'm Samuel
Who are you?
Turns out Aditi's assistant had given the wrong number, and she's 30, from Singapore but lives in Berlin and has a clothing company.
This was interesting, and I loved the mutually respectful brief conversation, but it didn't distract me for more than a few minutes from what else I was doing (setting up my workspace).
All in all, I don't think I'm doing too bad with staying in the present, but... probably that's not everything. Imagining the future is also an important thing to do and maybe I should do more of that as well.
I'll round this off with a video I just received from a friend (and that I haven't even finished watching yet; is it a good thing or a bad thing to allow myself to interrupt myself in this case?) and that points beautifully to the one thing we all can learn: