The world shook a little. At least that was how it felt initially at 2am.
“What the heck is it?”
It took me a while to gain consciousness and realize that it wasn’t an earthquake. It was the smoke detector in the living room. The smoke detector wasn’t beeping incessantly. But every 30 seconds, it gave a sharp chirp, loud enough to ensure it’s audible to all corners of the house.
Beep.
It was painful, but not enough for me to wake up in the middle of the night to figure out what was going on. I put on my earplugs and managed to doze off. When my eyes re-opened a few hours later, my sincere hope was that the beeping would have ceased.
Miraculously, no.
Beep.
I wasn’t going to let a malfunctioning device alter my morning routine, so I went on to do my push ups and meditation. But boy was I annoyed during my sit. I closed my eyes and was just about to get into the flow…
Beep.
“Ok, I should return to my breath. Focus on the rising and falling sensation of my torso, diaphragm…”
Beep.
Then I paused. Why am I so worked up by the beeping? Yes, it is annoying, but why? Is it because it affects my sleep? Or that I need to change my plans and actions to accommodate a surprising situation? Or that unless I give it immediate attention, it will continue to rob my sanity?
Am I giving it power to annoy me?
What does that say about all the things that can be happen in life that can be annoying? Many unpleasant problems can arise where there is no clear solution. How will I deal with it then?
Instead of resisting, can I lean into the beeping as it happens? Perhaps imagine it as a bell that rings every 30 seconds to remind me to focus on the task at hand. Perhaps I can think about how this device can save lives if a fire does happen…
Can I give it space now even though it’s annoying? Can I soften my heart?
(p.s. Make no mistake. I am definitely going to fix that freaking alarm after I’m done writing here. In the meantime, I will smile and learn to co-exist with it as if this whole episode is a comedy.)