Sue's News

Just a Moment…

August 31st, 2009

I get a lot of mass emails from friends and family with interesting stories and jokes… some urban legends and the like. Something made me stop and read a recent message from my father-in-law, Marv.

It seemed to speak so much to my blog post this past Friday, “Much Needed Time.” It was a synopsis of an experiment conducted during rush hour in a busy DC Metro station by the Washington Post, its writer, Gene Weingarten, won a Pulitzer for his article, “Pearls Before Breakfast.”

Joshua Bell, one of the world’s premiere violinists, nee musicians, was playing on a $3.5 million dollar violin for free during the morning rush. And most commuters passed him by without so much a glance, let alone any kind of recognition.

It was an interesting experiment and article, and easily worth the few moments it takes to read it and see the embedded videos. There’s even some philosophy in there (am I not selling this the way I should be?).

The most interesting part is the idea that people (except children, who are more often than not smarter than adults, especially with things like recognizing beauty and the good in everyday life) don’t even realize how good something is unless they’re told it’s good… unless there’s marketing, an advertisement, or a very specific pay off.

I’m not saying people are stupid… I am saying we’re so conditioned. We no longer trust ourselves to feel or get in touch with beauty on a visceral level.

And we’re also too wound up to stop and take anything in…

What are we doing with those extra seconds? Storing them up for some day???

I spent much of the day rushing to meet a last minute deadline… and spent a lot of time rushing to get my work postmarked. We then ran to a discount super store for some household items.

It wasn’t until dinner that I even stopped to look at my husband and smile at him for the first time today.

It wasn’t until I sat down to read this article that I really had a chance to think today.

As tired as I am from all the running around, something amazing happened when I stopped to think and read and breathe… my breathing slowed down, my head stopped hurting, and my body relaxed.

It’s amazing what a few precious moments can do for a day, and a life… especially when those moments are filled with beauty.

–Sue

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