Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life. Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

As soon as I recorded the last podcast episode

about the benefits of setting one intention

to motivate all of our actions, I started noticing

and actively questioning my own intentions throughout the day.

As you may know, we host monthly Buddhist boot camp discussion circles at various locations in California.

And last week, while I was on my way to discuss the very topic of intention, I stopped at a gas station

to refuel and it was packed with other customers.

Cars were lined up three vehicles deep, one pump was out of order,

and when it was finally my turn, I noticed the car on the other side of the pump didn't even have its gas cap open and the

driver wasn't filling up he was just sitting in his car talking on the phone.

Instead of pulling up to one of the two empty parking spaces that were directly in front of him and

making his phone call from there, he just sat there next to the pump.

With such a long line of cars behind him waiting for him to move, it was so tempting

to tap on his window, motion for him to move out of the way

so other people can pull up, or point to the parking space 10 feet in front of him with a look on my face that says,

seriously, but I stopped myself.

Mindfulness to me means the gap between impulse and action.

And ideally what we would do during that pause is perhaps contemplate whether what we're about to do is in line with our

values or if what we're about to say is true, necessary and kind.

Or in this case I asked myself what was the intention behind my proposed action?

Well, I immediately started laughing because I was clearly trying to control the situation.

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