Here and Now

No baby news - yes, I will repeat it again as I do every day - this is good news. We are nearing the end of the first trimester.

One thing that has been on my mind recently is how often we 'wish our lives away' - watching the minutes tick off in a difficult meeting or, as in our case, wishing the next six months would pass more quickly so our baby would be in our arms. It is a great challenge to slow down and live in the 'now' - a great one indeed. I ran across this article today that really illustrates how much we could all benefit by slowing down a bit and appreciating the 'here and the now'. Take notice of something special today that you might otherwise be inclined to let pass you by - it might surprise you. Enjoy.

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007…

A man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes, a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds – then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 Minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw the money into the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 Minutes later: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pulled him along and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for any significant amount of time. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour: 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 greatest 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 Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common-place environment, at an inconvenient hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made....

How many other things are we missing?