Five minutes a day

Dur….

My head’s all fuzzy from allergy medication. At least three times today, I’ve caught myself staring off into space and thinking about sleeping. With my eyes open. Just a warning, people.

In my skimmings with the Christian entertainment community, I find it interesting that there seems to be a prevailing persecuted mentality of sorts. Newbies to the city consistently ask me if I’ve ever been discriminated against because I’m a Christian. To which I always reply “Nope. You’re more likely to be discriminated against if you’re a Republican.” (though I find it fascinating that nobody has ever had a co-worker who’s part of that scary scary, no I’m not typing it here religion that certain celebrities jump up and down on Oprah’s couch about.)

And it’s true. Nobody has ever treated me differently because I believe in God. I don’t stand on my desk and preach to everyone going to the break room, but that’s because I believe in God AND I’m not a moron.

It’s kinda weird how the questions always come. Almost as if they’d like to think the reason more Christian entertainment isn’t happening is BECAUSE Christians are thrown to the Dilbert Workplace Lions.

But it’s simply not true. I’ve worked for Christians, Jews, quasi-Buddhists, none of them gave a toss what I was. You could believe in Ceiling Cat and they wouldn’t care as long as you were competent.

I’ve given church recommendations to fellow co-workers in the copy room. I told my boss “Maybe we should pray” when 9/11 was going down (his response was “thanks” and hung up to watch the tv.)

Currently at the Miniature Golf Network, one of my co-workers has a wooden church on her desk counter where everyone sees it when they walk by, and keeps a copy of the Bible by her computer. And another one of my co-workers, counting down the days to her impending nuptials, had a conversation with me last week about how she’s always been able to feel God’s presence. To which I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her senseless, screaming “Tell me the secret! Tell me what you DO!!!”

She says that she makes sure that she takes time out every day to Be Still And Know That I Am God. “Don’t even pray,” she says, “Just sit and listen.”

So I’ve been working on it. Five minutes a day, just sitting and concentrating on God. No prayers, just the discipline of me continuing to focus and refocus on God. And it is a discipline, because my thoughts always want to run and skip in the meadows of When Is Lost Coming Back On, I Need New Workout Shoes, I think The Mist Is Frank Darabont’s Meditation On Faith.

So far, all I’ve gotten is that five minutes goes much faster than I realize. But I think the start of every new endeavor begins pretty inauspiciously for me. So on I go.

But the important part is, I got the idea from a co-worker. In the Entertainment Industry. So there ya go, naysayers. No discrimination here. Go find something else to keep ya down.

You know, if you drink one Starbucks Vanilla Frappucino while on allergy medication, the back of your hands get numb. Interesting. What happens if I drink TWO?