My 2010 word of the year

My friend Raimi had a really fun post a couple of weeks ago. She decided to pick a word that she could focus on for the year. A word that would mean something and would help inspire you all through the year. I love that idea!

Ever since I read her post I have been trying to think hard about what would be the "right" word for me this year. And every time I try, the same story keeps coming back to me. It is a true story my mom sent me a while ago & I would like to share ...

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 a 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 a gain. 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 awhile.

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 p layed 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 $100.00 each.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station

was organized by the Washington Post as part of a 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 some of the best music ever written, how many other

things are we missing?

My word for 2010 is Listen. I don't want to miss anything.

When you actually listen, you are doing more than just hearing. You are paying attention, noticing and then acting on what you hear. You are making an effort and are ready to hear. Sometimes, when you really listen, you can hear more than what is being said. I want to Listen this year.

I want to listen to my husband. I want to listen to my children. I want to listen to my family and friends. I want to listen to good music, uplifting messages and stories, the situations of others, nature...& so much more.

I want to slow down and Listen to the world around me.

I don't want to miss the beautiful music.