Hello.

 

Hi, I'm Annie.

Mother of 3,
spouse to G,
writer of things,
former batgirl,
sister,
daughter,
lucky friend,
and American
living in Australia.

Basic Joy = my attempt to document all of this life stuff, stubbornly looking for the joy in dailiness. 

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Mama, Ph.D.: Women Write About Motherhood and Academic LifeMountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the WorldThe Sweetness at the Bottom of the PieThe Island: A NovelThe PassageSecret Spaces of Childhood

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« Dear Ira Glass, | Main | Please bear with me... »
Friday
Apr202007

Hearing the music

Now and then I have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moment, to Be Here Now rather than in a million other places mentally. I forget and essentially disconnect my senses, depriving myself of the joy of hearing*feeling*touching*seeing whatever is right in front of me.

So I commiserate with the 1,097 people who, on January 12th this year did the same thing. Thanks to Ali's blog for pointing out a fascinating article (and, in a way, research study) by the Washington Post. They set up violinist Joshua Bell (disguised) to play music (or "busk" as they say in England) in the L'Enfant Plaza metro station to see what happened. It's an illuminating read and more than a little painful to watch the video footage and identify with all those people rushing right past, missing the beauty right there in front of them. Ouch.

Reminded me of these lines from Gwendolyn Brooks:
Exhaust the little moment
Soon it dies
And be it gash or gold it will not come
Again in this identical disguise.

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Reader Comments (2)

That was such a great article - and makes me wonder how many times in life I've missed little "masterpieces" along the way. So many times the kids are tugging at your hand to stop and notice something, but the rush of life makes me pull them on. I definitely need to stop and enjoy the beauties of life more.

04.20.2007 | Unregistered CommenterStie

Wow. That was an amazing article. I just had Nathan read it too. Really makes you think. Really makes me want to learn how to play the violin too. :)

04.20.2007 | Unregistered CommenterBridget

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