Living each moment...

Yesterday, I met up with Melissa and we walked along the beach and then grabbed a margarita. (Apparently, margaritas on a Sunday afternoon are becoming our regular thing.) It was such an amazing way to end the week...or start the new one...however you'd like to look at it. Relaxing. Carefree. Fun. And in good company. What's fascinating about this new friendship is that I have known Melissa since I went to Western...so, what, 7 years? I've hung out with her on a number of occasions, but we've never delved deep into conversations. What is amazing, is how much we have in common, with everything. It's so rare to find someone who you can talk with about anything and everything, speculations, ideas, the current moment, whatever it is; the people you can sit with for hours on end. It is sooooo nice. This is what I LOVED about my friends in NYC; if you went out for a drink, you'd be there for hours...with the same drink...because you were so into the conversation. This is one of my favorite things to do - grab a drink with a good friend, and just talk, but not talking for talking's sake, but really, really talking about life, and everything else. Being able to breathe in the moment and allow your thoughts and feelings to flow is such a wonderful feeling.

I woke up today and felt good. Really good. I went on my computer. I saw that the nominations for the Oscars are coming out tomorrow. I saw a review on the film I was an extra on this summer that opened at Sundance. I smiled. I smiled so big. I felt an energy surge through me that I haven't felt in a while. A wonderful, exciting, thrilling energy; one that said "you're in the right place." It said that I am "on my way." This may sound weird to you and maybe some people, but I really really listen to myself, to my heart, to the earth, to God, to everything. In the book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coehlo (which I have referenced before), he talks of the boy speaking to the soul of the world and speaking the language of the world. Everyone is capable of speaking the language of the world. This happens when you see someone and understand their emotions, understand their feelings, and the other person doesn't have to say a word. By being one with yourself, and really centered within your own body, you are able to listen to the soul of the world, and in turn listen to your heart. It speaks. It guides you. You just have to stop and allow yourself to listen. To live in the moment.

Yesterday, I had a beautiful day of just walking, listening to the waves crashing on the shore, allowing the sun to beat down on my face and arms, feeling the sand and the water underneath my feet and between my toes, and I breathed in that salty and fresh air. The thing about this, is I allowed myself to really live in these moments. I took it all in. I smelled, I felt, I listened, I touched; I took it all in. So many times we forget to just take in everything around us and really live in the moment. You never know what you may be missing if you tune out everything around you.

On that note, I'm going to leave you with a story that a friend of mine put on her facebook page. I, in turn, put it on mine. I apologize if you have already read it, but I feel it's one of those stories that deserves to be read again anyway. It's relevant and eye opening.

THE SITUATION

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:

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

At 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 pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action wasrepeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

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 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Postas part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*If so, 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 as we rush through life?