Stop and smell the Roses? Stop and Look and Listen to All You're Missing

• Do you stop and look at the sky, maybe watching the clouds as they move across the sky, always changing and moving?
• Do you stop and listen to the cacophony of noises at dusk, when the birds and other animals are settling in for the night?
• Have you ever noticed how many colors of green there are? Or marvel at the way the sun skips off the top of moving water? Or smile over the playfulness and awkwardness of young puppies playing and rolling around, tripping over their own big paws? Or listen - just listen - to your favorite CD, whatever it is? Not driving, just sitting, eyes closed, enjoying?

How much beauty do we miss in the average day?

I read the following and it made me ponder the questions - what do I not even notice? or what do I notice but no make the time to enjoy and be grateful for?



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

• Four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
• Six minutes later, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
• Ten minutes later, a three year-old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.
• Forty-five minutes the musician played. Only six of the people stopped and stayed for a while. About twenty gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.
• An hour later he finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded. There was no recognition.

Now, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story...
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 every written, with a violin worth $3.5 million. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised - Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

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 every written, with one of the most beautiful instruments... What else are we missing?

What are you missing?

Checked at http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp