Do we give ourselves time for magic moments?
“It is better to be happy for a moment and be burned up with beauty than to live a long time and be bored all the while.” Don Marquis
In every moment with a little bit of sensitivity we can feel, hear and see magic spontaneously happening all around us. More often than not we miss these moments.
We busy ourselves with all the main events that we feel are important during our normal hectic days but we miss these special magic moments and lose so much of the benefits they could bring.
We live life one moment at a time, but too often we miss the moment, we miss what’s happening right here., right now.
Today’s post was inspired by my daughter Carly. I’ve learnt something about how the younger generation use Facebook. It’s not just for chatting to friends, or letting everyone know what you’re up to today. They also use it to feed their minds with interesting information, it’s become their resource for receiving news, gossip and amazing stories. While we were together this weekend she told me about something she read.
Let me now share with you the story.
A man stood against a wall at a Metro station in Washington DC at the top of the escalators playing the violin. It was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of whom were on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried along.
A minute later, a woman threw his first dollar tip into the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly, he was late for work.
A 3 year old boy was fascinated. His mother tried hurrying him along but the kid tried to stop to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
During the entire 45 minutes, only 6 people stopped and stayed for any length of time. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk. He collected a paltry $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? The full amazing story can be read here at the Washington Post.
To me the greatest message this story tells is that life is lived one moment at a time but too often we miss the moment. If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
My message to you my readers is don’t allow yourself any longer to miss special little moments that happen along the way. Take time to notice the magic moments that definitely take place around you.
As a personal development coach I applaud you all for searching for life changing moments, but I beseech you to find time for the magic moments that you already have.
So often I write about finding a passion and purpose for your life particularly in today’s fast-paced difficult world. But it is imperative that you don’t forego living in the moment in your pursuit of this passion. Give yourself the gift of life and take the time to look around you. This means you are allowing yourself to truly be passionate about life.
What would you do with your time if you were passionate about life?
Thank you Carly for providing me yet another magic moment, and such an awesome story that I would have missed out on without you.
4 Comments