VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Dan-O · The Gates of Troy Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 1638

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

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Here's a small reminder of what we may be missing everyday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html?referrer=emailarticle

bobsouer · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:49 am Post subject:

Dan,

Thank you. What a great article.
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DaveChristi · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:50 am Post subject:

Thanks for posting Dan-O! I ran across this article a little over a year ago (it might have been on this board). It almost makes me cry.
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Whit · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:04 pm Post subject:

Dave, I'm glad you said that! I was choking up over this too!

I heard this on NPR a while back, what a story.

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:45 pm Post subject:

Dan-o:
Thanks for this--how lovely. I'm about to listen to the 3/4 of an hour of L'Enfant classical ...
I was especially taken by this observation: "Life slowly starts to choke the poetry out of us."
I surely hope NOT.
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bobsouer · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:58 pm Post subject:

Diane,

The good news is that we can pour it back with with sufficient effort. Smile

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Bailey · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:07 pm Post subject:

We are told to stop and smell the roses, but sometimes we don't notice the rose growing amongst the weeds.
Very good article.
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Vance Elderkin · Contributor IV Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 133

If I may be so bold, I'd to share a brief essay that I wrote for my web site some years back...a similar sentiment.

============================

The Mockingbird
It had been a tough week of work at my university. A typical final exam week at the end of the semester. I was tired and ill-tempered. My students were tired and ill-tempered, more so when they saw the exam I had written for them. Even the office staff was tired and ill-tempered. Everyone was overworked and sleep-deprived.

This had been an especially rough day. One of my bosses had just dumped a huge last-minute project on me, guaranteed to tie up my entire weekend, when I had hoped to get some rest. Our department had sent out a memo asking how we felt about being cut to three-quarters of our salary if the budget problems became worse. And I had had a couple of difficult meetings with students who were unhappy with the grade they received -- tears, insults, screaming, and so forth. The end of my work day couldn't possibly arrive fast enough for me, and I knew that I had a one-hour drive in heavy traffic ahead of me before I would arrive home.

I left my building and starting walking up the busy street toward the lot where my car was parked. It was a blistering hot, humid day. My shoulders were drooping, my head was down. What a day! What a week!

As I started to walk into the parking lot, I was startled by a loud sound above my head. I stopped and looked up. There, sitting at the very top of a telephone pole, was a mockingbird, and he had just begun to sing. I remember having the absurd thought that he must have been waiting for me before he started.

This little mockingbird proceeded to sing his heart out for me. I counted at least a dozen different songs. There may have been more; I lost track after a while. He even threw in some comic relief -- after a sequence of particularly beautiful songs, he let out a crow's loud, "Caw! Caw!" which caught me by surprise. I laughed out loud as he continued with more beautiful songs.

For fifteen minutes, I stood there and listened to my own private concert, oblivious to the people walking past me on the sidewalk and the cars driving past, honking their horns, with blaring radios. When the little bird finished he looked around and then gave a quick nod of his head, bowing to his audience of one, and flew away.

When I finally continued walking toward my car, I had a smile on my face.

We are all busy with our lives, trying to keep up with our work, our family, our relationships, our responsibilities. The pace can be hectic, and it can seem as if we never have a single moment that is our own. And in the middle of it all, a little mockingbird may begin to sing for you.

Do you ever listen?

bobsouer · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:22 pm Post subject:

Vance,

That is truly beautiful. Thank you.
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Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
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Deirdre · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:41 pm Post subject:

Oh, Vance.

Thank you for the little concert.
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voicy1stef · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:51 am Post subject:

Thanks for sharing this newspaper article with us, and thanks for the essay Vance. You're so right. I noticed some birds singing in a naked (bare branches) tree the other day and enjoyed listening to them. I noticed the bird's nests high in the tree, that I had never looked at before.

Usually we are quite busy just getting from point A to point B, and never notice these things. Eyes down, focus on the task.

It's nice to be open to taking a break once in a while isn't it?
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Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 8:20 am Post subject:

Wow, Vance! I was there with you, amidst the caucaphony, and then soothed by the birdsong. Thanks for sharing!
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Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 8:45 am Post subject:

Take the top 1000 musicians and the 1000th will be earning a modest income.

Take the top 1000 writers and the 1000th will be earning a modest income.

Take the top 1000 artists and the 1000th will be earning a modest income.

Take the top 1000 actors and the 1000th will be earning a modest income.

Take the top 1000 bankers and the 1000th will be a multi millionaire.

Take a look at who contributed to the present state of the USA, the UK and the rest of the world.

Take a look at who contributes to the much needed times of relief, escape, entertainment and relaxation from the harsh realities of the present state of the USA, the UK and the rest of the world.

We need to debate, analyse, fund, spin and declare war on the problems of the world .............Or do we need to sit quietly in the National Gallery and meditate with a glass of claret, some brie and Vivaldi playing on the ipod?

SoundsGreat-Elaine Singer · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 12:35 pm Post subject:

Well, I guess this brings us full circle to Mary's post.

http://www.vo-bb.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8470
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Moe Egan · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:54 pm Post subject:

Very interesting article Dan-O thanks for sharing.

Made me think of a time my youngest son and I were walking through Cambridge and saw a woman playing a glass harmonica. I'd never seen one in real life, and the sound was beautiful. We stayed and listened for a while - when she finished one piece, I told my son that the glass harmonica was invented by Ben Franklin - the woman was so excited, she filled in details of its invention, and invited my son to try his hand on the instrument....when I reached into my purse - she waved me off...said she enjoyed sharing with us. It was a very cool moment.

Lance...I LOVED your mockingbird story. May we never lose the ability to listen or see what's in front of us - the race is way too short not to enjoy the pit stops along the way.
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~~~~~