David Cain shares an experience:
One evening last week, I was sitting on my front stoop waiting for a friend to come over. I brought a book out with me, but instead of reading I just sat there and let my senses take in the scene.
I didn’t look or listen for anything in particular, I just let the details of this particular moment in the neighborhood come to me: the quality of the air—heavy and warm, the incoming summer storm kind; birds; two couples having a conversation down the sidewalk; the clinking of dishes coming from inside the house to my right; distant hammering from a construction site somewhere in the blocks behind my house.
That sounds nice. Real nice. The busier my life is, the more I long for these moments. It’s so easy to always focus on the next thing and miss the experience itself. Cain sums this up well:
Life can disappear on us just like a cup of coffee consumed on autopilot. In other words, to really experience life itself, as opposed to just more thinking about life, we need to remember we’re having an experience.
This article is a good reminder for me. I need to ensure there is enough margin in my life so I feel free to take the time to enjoy the various moments of my life.
