Back in the late 90s, when I worked full-time at a very corporate corporation, senior management (or the hoo-ha’s as I liked to call them) made us attend a very corporate, feel-good session to make us work better as a team (in theory). The brainwashing started with a ridiculous number of cheesy catch-phrases and ended with us falling backwards into our teammates’ outstretched arms while singing kumbaya.

My 20-something self did a lot of eye-rolling and not-so-quiet sighing that day, which is why I’m shocked that recently, I have been thinking about one of those stupid phrases just about every day.

You guessed it…BE HERE NOW.

It’s about being present in the moment – not just physically – but mentally and emotionally. And lately, it’s taken on a whole new meaning for me as I teeter back and forth between my roles as mom, working professional, and just plain ol’ me.

Since I don’t have 9 to 5 office hours, the hours I work during the day are often blurred, meaning I can be answering calls and emails at any hour of the day. I’ve realized this has its pros and cons. The flexibility is great, but its randomness sometimes makes it hard to be here now.

But the distractions are not limited to work. There are replies to friends’ emails, Facebook and other social sites, and your average, run-of-the-mill Internet surfing to occupy countless minutes (if not hours) of my time.

I hear the voice in my head chanting “be here now” each time I check my email when I’m home with both kiddos. I hear it when I’m thinking about my to-do list and simultaneously setting up train tracks or reading story books. I hear it when my husband gets home and he starts checking his email.

Kids aren’t stupid. And, despite the crazy stuff that usually comes out of their mouths, they don’t always say what they think. So I shouldn’t assume that because my kids aren’t verbalizing their annoyance with me on my laptop, that it’s ok to keep burying my head in it.

That said, I’ve started to hold myself to a certain set of rules – no email, Internet, or chat between the hours of 5 and bedtime. Some days I’m good. Some days, not so much. And I’ve tried to hold my husband to that too, although it’s sometimes a tough sell.

So I’m wondering, do any of you struggle with this too and do you have any suggestions for being here now?

Last 5 posts by MoltoMom

• On the cusp of 3… - October 13th, 2008
• The Trick of the Treat - October 20th, 2008
• Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid - November 4th, 2008
• Judging the Caffeine - November 13th, 2008
• The Birth of a Three Year Old - November 21st, 2008