Stephanie shared this last week and I have to admit it’s been eating at me since I read it (you should go read it now, it's short, I'll wait). It left me feeling vulnerable, a little melancholy and dare I say, guilty.
Yes it made me feel guilty.
I took the El to work for years, how many musicians did I walk by without a second glance or nod. There are hundreds of street musicians I have passed in my life and aside form the few at our local farmers market we have hardly ever stopped to listen or given money.
Would I have walked by? Would I have noticed?
I would like to pretend that I would.
I probably wouldn't have recognized him or know how expensive and rare the instrument is, but I would like to think would have recognized the difficulty of the piece he was playing. How beautiful the sound was.
I think I may be telling myself that to make myself feel better.
The reality is I probably would have walked along with everyone else...rushed my toddler past as they asked to stop.
How much beauty do I miss as I rush us from here to there and there to here
Beauty that is missed by telling my children to go play, not now, no time.
Rush. Rush. Rush.
Stephanie left this comment when I shared the post:
I also think I need to plan for more time going places/doing things so I can intentionally not always feel so rushed. What if we used our time to just be "in time", what if we planned to do nothing and just wait and see what happens? ;) I think we would be able to catch more good things going on and weed out the things that aren't worth our time in the first place.I think she’s right.
I think, I know, we are doing too much. It’s an almost unstoppable habit to fill our time and space with stuff, things, doing. But how much beauty are we missing by doing that?
I think I want to really focus on that this summer, taking the extra time to just be “in time”. To allow my kids the ability to explore on the way to the car. To show me their world, to see and hear beauty all around us.
To hopefully not walk past the great musician playing the beautiful music but to stop and listen and perhaps dance. To take in the beauty that is the everyday and the beauty that is the once in a lifetime.
The world is beautiful place and it’s time we slowed down and realized it.
Live.
Simply seeing the beauty that is all around, that’s my Simple Moment, Bigger Picture this week.
Capture.
What’s yours?
Share.
Link up your Simple Moment over at Alita's this week.
Encourage.
7 comments:
When I was reading the story and the questions raised, I kind of thought that people responded that way maybe partly because they were busy but also partly because of the context. Especially in metropolitan areas, we get so used to seeing beggars on the street, many of them musicians playing for money - with wide ranging skill levels. The line about parents almost uniformly ushering their children away made me think it's about more than just being in a hurry. It can also be about the preconceived notions we have about others and the demands they might make of us.
In any case, it's a great lesson in the ways in which we can all learn to be more open and receptive. To really *listen* instead of walling off and closing up to each other. Thank you for sharing!
Wow! I am guilty of this as well. I take the train almost everyday and see these musicians at least 3 times a week. Sometimes I will stop and pay attention to them and other times I am just "too busy" to pay attention. I will now.
I am trying TRYING!! :)
Also, agree with the 1st commenter on maybe if they weren't rushing, were they "judging" and thinking that person was just a bum? Someone lesser than them? How many amazing souls are dressed in rags, or rather not as you'd expect...
Steph
"To show me their world, to see and hear beauty all around us."
To see as a child. To see a person as a person and not just something to be passed by. To NOT rush, to stand still. To listen to our hearts, to move within our own minutes not to what we think we should do. To do all these things and to proclaim to live life FULLY and intentionally is the dream. We have to live the dream, dream the dream, sell the dream, and make the dream happen.
And this post is just another reason why I love your soul. I hope that we meet some day Mel. hugs!
Alita
I am right there with you, Mel! Right there! Been slowing down a lot lately ... more and more. Pretty soon I'm going to be referred to as molassas in January, if John has his say.
And we do. We need time to just exist in the space given. Agreed totally.
Great composition!
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Oh, yes -- that post stung at my heart too. I am terrible about rushing the kids along. Reading this made me realize that I prioritize making sure they don't lollygag over allowing them "the ability to explore on the way to the car." You are so right. ... And we keep trying ...
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