What Else Are We Missing Out In Our Lives???

Ju Ju suddenly was not feeling well yesterday evening. She said she has a headache and the next thing I know, she changed into her pj's on her own and crawled into her bed. Actually it was her third time in the past ten days complaning about her headache and goes to bed way before her normal bed time. It kinda makes me nervous when a girl full of energy doesn't want to do anything. I decided that if she complains about her headache again soon, I am going to take her to see her doctor..

Anyway, my sister in Hawaii forwarded me an email yesterday and I thought you all should read this post if you would. All of us have a hectic work schedule or busy life raising children. And we often don't even have the time to stop in our own tracks and take a deep breath. This email really made me realize how true that is.... The below is the message I was forwarded by my sister.

*A Violinist in the Metro* From The Effective Club

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 thousands of 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 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 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 theater 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? 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? ****

So what do you think everyone? This email kind of made me sad. It's Joshua Bell! And not even one person noticed him - I wouldn't have noticed that it is him either. That's how busy we are or at least that's what we think we are. And you know what funny thing is? Only the children wanted to stop and listen to his violin. That's how innocent and curious our children are. They want to see and listen to things, play and enjoy life! When did we ever stop to think that life has so much to offer if we let it?

I found the real footage on YouTube of what happened in the email as well as the article from Washington Post. Enjoy!