Stop and Listen Once in a While

Recently, my husband shared with me the following story that was posted on facebook:

“A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and 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.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped 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.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real 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 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?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: 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?”

That story really hit home. I have set aside many of the things I love to do, whether with my children, my husband or for myself and replaced them with the busy-ness of life. I don't want to be so busy that I don't have time to enjoy beautiful music or stop to smell the roses or most of all, be in the moment with my children.

My mother in law loves to tell my husband and me that when we are older, we will look back on our lives and realize that THIS is the best time of our life. The time when our children are young; watching them grow and experience many of life's firsts. I would have to say that I agree - this is the best time of life. I love watching my children grow up, learn, discover and explore. I really wouldn't have it any other way!!!

And for those of you that say, "Sure, you are a stay at home... you have time to enjoy your kids. I work all day and then barely have time to make dinner, give baths and get the kids into bed, let alone spend 'quality' time with them." Let me tell you, I understand COMPLETELY!!! I used to be a full time working Mom. As a matter of fact, I, more often than not, was at work 60+ hours a  week. So I get it. Believe me, I get it. That is when I started to look for time saving tips. What I find so silly is that we live in a world full of time saving gadgets that are meant to hurry us along and yet, we are still in such a hurry that we can't stop and smell the roses once in a while.

Enjoying a moment at one of our favorite hiking spots.  We watched this family grow last year - amazing memories.

When we found out I was pregnant with our third child, my husband and I made a very deliberate, conscious decision that I should be home with our children instead of working outside the home. We tried having an in home child care, however after some complications we decided to close it and I became a full time stay at home Mom. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been easy. We have made MANY sacrifices as a single income family. I overheard someone say, "Yeah, now they'll just go on public assistance." Ummm... first, get all your facts straight, and second, no, we are not on any type of public assistance. Not that there is anything wrong with it if you need it - we made a choice to cut our income, therefore we have made choices to trim down our spending.  You might think my husband has a great job so I can afford to stay home. That would also be inaccurate. A friend of mine once asked me what my husband's income is and she just about fell over and said, "How do you survive?"  I just smiled and said, "I am frugal and thrifty and have faith that God will provide. And so far, He has!"

Do I want my children to remember a Mom that never had time for them? Or a Mom that took time to share the simple pleasures of life WITH them. I learned several years ago, that the dusting, mopping and cleaning will keep, but my children will not. They will only be small for RIGHT NOW. If I need a rest after a long day, we take one together. If it is a beautiful, sunny day, we stop at the park and play. I put more importance on the "quality" of the time I spend with my kids verses the "quantity." A 20-30 minute trip to the park where we play, go down the slide, sit on the swings and giggle is more important than 2 hours of them playing and me watching saying, "hmmmm? OK.... just a sec...." as I check my phone the entire time.

My children and I love to stop and observe the wildlife.

So take a challenge with me:
Every day for the next week, take time to be in the moment with the ones you love. Listen to music. Take a walk. Color in a coloring book. Read a few extra stories or chapters at bedtime. Enjoy life together. And if you hear someone playing music, stop and listen for a little while... you just might be listening to one of the greats!