It is so important to appreciate the small things in life, isn't it? One thing I love about blogging is that it gives me the opportunity to document the small things and receive "small things" in comments that brighten my day. I came across this story on Facebook this morning and had to share it with you guys. It really made me stop and think... goosebumps will do that to you.
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A man stood in a metro station in Washing DC playing a violin on a cold January morning. For 45 minutes, he played six Bach pieces. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that about 1,100 people went through their station - most on their way to work.
Three minutes passed. A middle-aged man noticed music, slowed his pace, stopped for a few seconds, and hurried off. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip by a women who threw the money in without stopping. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him play. He looked at his watch, realized he was late for work, and shuffled off. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother was rushing him along, but the child stopped to listen. The mother kept pushing the child to walk. Several other children tried to stop and listen while their parents forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes while the violinist played, only 6 people stopped. About 20 people gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing, silence took over and no one noticed that the music had stopped. There was no applause or recognition.
Nobody knew, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate and difficult pieces ever written on a violin worth $3.5 million. Two days before playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where seats averaged $100 each.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in a metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities. The goal was to determine if, 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 possible conclusion from this experiment could be... if we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music every written, what else are we missing?
This story gave me chills...I hate to think what all I have missed. What extraordinary moments have I overlooked because I was busy? It's the little things, guys.
It's a sleeping puppy sticking the tip of his tongue out for no reason...
I'm linking this post up with the Wish Out Loud Blog Hop! {You still have 4 days to link up and make a wish!} My wish is that I stop letting the little things pass me by...I wish the same for you.
Hey Y'all! Today I'm linking up with some pretty cool ladies for Wish Out Loud. It's a Blog Hop and you should go join in! You have 5 more days to participate and you can do so at any of these three blogs:
If I may encourage you in one more way, let me just tell you about my opinion in link parties. I like them, but sometimes I get bored because I feel like you are forced to blog about one thing. You'r post has to be about Pinterest or crafts or recipes or whatever...but this linky party blog hop is AWESOME because you are not limited at all. Just write about something you wish for. How easy is that?! You can wish for something and shallow like a cup of hot chocolate, because it's cold outside and Krystina's blog title got you thinking about it. Or you can wish for something deep and meaningful like Ashley does. It's a lot of fun, and I hope you'll go do it because sometimes a fellow-blogger can help your wish come true. So cool. So go. Go now! :) But wait...read my post first.
Yesterday I mentioned my walk-in closet plans and, like a spaz, I didn't link up when I said I did. Silly wabbits. Sorry about that, ladies. So...here is the link. For real this time. Wait for it....
Did you look? Did you read? I hope so, because this week I am wishing for some help. I am horrible at making decisions. My husband has decided that I can turn an extra room that we don't love into my dream closet. The problem, though, with dreams is that they cost money. Don't worry...I'm not going to ask for money. Haha. I would just like some input, some ideas, some suggestions. And like 99% percent of the world, I've got to find a way to create & live a dream {closet} on a budget.
I've created a Pin Board. That's not really helping me out, though. I have SO many ideas! I have so many choices...
the choices
Do I want to (can I afford to) paint the walls first?
There are a lot of nails in the walls, can I use them or am I going to have to pull them out?
Can I pull the nails out without having to repaint?
Do I want a more permanent hanging system, like wire racks?
If I get a wire rack that is drilled into the wall, that room will always be a closet. What if we have kids? We won't have a room to use a down-stairs nursery. Then we'd have to put our baby or toddler upstairs, alone, with the possibility of throwing him-or-herself down the stairs and dying.
Should I just go with a rolling rack then?
Wouldn't I need several rolling racks?
Or what about stationary racks?
Can I display my wedding dress in my closet without spending 7 billion dollars?
Should I put a vanity in my closet so that I can put my make-up on in the room?
My make-up gets kind of messy...or I can get messy, rather. Shouldn't I just leave my make-up station in the bathroom?
What about my scarves - how can I store/display those?
What should I do about my accessories?
Where can I put my purses?
Should I hang up everything - clothes, bathing suits, lingerie?
I wish I knew what would work best without having to go through the whole trial-and-error thing. It's hard to make all of these decisions with no prior experience to base my judgement on. Oh, and calling in a professional is absolutely not in the budget. So, if any of you have ever worked on a walk-in closet or a closet-room, or anything of the like, will you lend me your advice? I'm a little scared. And I know I'm over-analyzing and just making a huge, dramatic issue out of something I should just be THANKFUL for and happy about. But, I'm a girl & I'm pretty sure all of you are girls. So you get it, yes?
funny, that doesn't mean the same thing it meant to me when I was in college.
I adore Sunday's now and what they mean - even though it's completely different.
I decided to link-up with Wish Out Loud today (for the very first time) because this week, I actually have a wish. And also because I'm blogging on a Sunday, which is unusual for me. So, go join in on the fun if you also have a wish on your heart. It's quite therapeutic.
There was some confussion for me because I couldn't get the code to work...and then on some blog feedback I received, I learned that I should let y'all know if it is a blog hop or a link-up party. I am still new at this and learning lots. I didn't know there was a difference, so here is a link for this particularly amazing Blog Hop. I hope you'll join in on the fun because you have ALL WEEK to write a WISH and link-up!
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This morning at our church, the men took over the service. It was Baptist Men's Day and I was so proud of my husband for participating. He is really growing in his role as a husband and spiritual leader of our home and it just tickles my soul's fancy.
We started a Bible study last week on Hearing God's Voice and knowing His will. Each day, there is homework to be completed. Well, we haven't done our homework every day and had to double up a few times. Last night, one of the lessons we looked at was on making ourselves accessible to hearing God's voice. It really clicked with me and got me super excited about all the things He is doing in my/our life.
On of the little exercises was to check the ways God has spoken to you. Through song? sermon? Christian conference? mission workers? small-group studies? And the list went on and on. I checked quite a few because, growing up, my parents forced/encouraged me to participate a lot. So, logically, God has spoken to me - where I've felt that tiny, goosebump-y stir in my heart - in lots of different ways because I've watched the movies, read the books, gone to the activities, listened to the music, and so on. I've been accessible and He showed up.
There were, however, several boxes that I left un-checked. While it good that the majority of my boxes had check marks in them, I wish I could have checked all of the boxes. I wish I was more accessible.
So, that's my wish.
I wish that I could be more accessible to God so that He will speak to me and into me more.
One would think that such a task would be so simple. Ok, just do it! Participate in more Jesus- stuff! Right? Not so much. Sometimes, there's just not the money. Sometimes it would feel financially irresponsible to claim about $200 of our money as my own so that I can go to a woman's Christian conference for a weekend. Devoting an entire weekend and a big chunk-o-change to this feels a little selfish...and that's not what I want. I don't want to be selfish. So, situations like that make being more accessible to God a little more difficult than you or I would initially think. Which is why, this Sunday, my wish is to be able to tell everyone what God has done for me and what He is doing for me right now and to go and participate in as much as I can, and be the Christian and person I should be.
