In general, there are three different modes in which we can live our lives: doing, thinking and being. Most of the day we’re busy doing – working in our jobs, doing chores, following our hobbies and enjoying ourselves in our free time. Thinking usually takes place between activities, when there’s nothing to occupy our attention, or during activities which are more repetitive and undemanding, when we don’t need to concentrate too much.

And being? Most people don’t spend much time being. Being occurs when we're relatively inactive and relaxing. It’s when our minds aren’t chattering away with thoughts, and when we aren’t concentrating our attention on tasks or activities. In this mode, we usually pay a lot of our attention to...

Hersch Wilson is the author of Firefighter Zen. He and his wife, Laurie, became volunteer firefighters in 1986. He has worked as an organizational consultant, pilot, outdoor adventure trainer, professional dancer, and author. He writes for Backdraft magazine and other publications. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Find out more about his work at HerschWilson.com.

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