Do you stop and listen?

Yesterday I read a very interesting article. In January 2007, The Washington Post arranged a performance by world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell in a Washington metro station as an experiment in context, perception and priorities.

Joshua Bell, dressed in a t-shirt, jeans and baseball cap performed six classical pieces on his $3.5 million dollar violin (handcrafted in 1713 by Antonio Stradivari) for 43 minutes. Over 1,000 people walked past him. Only a handful stopped to listen briefly. At the end of the 43 minutes he made $32.17.

Here is a high speed video clip of his performance:



The Washington Post reporter asks the following question as one of his conclusions:
If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that -- then what else are we missing?

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How about you? Would you have stopped and listened? Is there something you may be missing out on because the pace and demands of life are so overpowering? Stop and think. Better yet, stop and listen!!

peace, hope and love,

Lily

Another interesting fact: "There was no ethnic or demographic pattern to distinguish the people who stayed to watch Bell, or the ones who gave money, from that vast majority who hurried on past, unheeding. Whites, blacks and Asians, young and old, men and women, were represented in all three groups. But the behavior of one demographic remained absolutely consistent. Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away."

note: to read the entire Washington Post article, click HERE.

New Territory

This is the Ralph Marston piece that we used to end our last meeting...

New territory

Look in the direction of what you think you cannot do,
of what you've been reluctant to undertake.

You'll see a pathway that leads to new levels of success and achievement.
You've already done all the comfortable and familiar things.
To create new value, step out into new territory.

You've already successfully adjusted to countless new situations.
You've already been able to move forward through all kinds of challenges.
Now is the time to make use of that ability again.
Now is when you can boldly venture into new, valuable, productive, effective territory and raise yourself to an even higher level than before.

The fact that the challenges are daunting, serves to make the rewards that much greater.
You have what it takes to meet those challenges and reach those rewards.

Open yourself to the opportunities of living richly and making significant, continuing contributions to your world.

Follow the possibilities into a bright, new territory of achievement and value.

-- Ralph Marston

Saying Goodbye

This weekend we say good-bye to Broward ANAD. Come join us for our last support group meeting this Sunday, June 14th, 2009 at 7:00 PM. Thanks so much for letting us be a part of your recovery during the last 2 and a half years!

peace, hope and love,

ANAD Broward County Chapter

Accepting We Need Extra Help

So this week I had an EMG (Electromyography) done on my left arm. It is a diagnostic test to determine nerve and muscle function. It was like a small-scale-mini-torture session. Not painful for the most part, just really, really uncomfortable repeated electric shocks and needles. Ouch!!

I was putting off going to the doctor because I thought I would get better on my own.



I also purchased a brace today after putting it off for days.

I kept thinking my injury would go away by itself, so why invest the time and money in doing something about it.

It's been almost a month and I am still not better so I finally had to accept that I am going to need extra help to get better.

How about you, have you been trying to do recovery alone and it is not working? Is it time to ask someone you trust for help?

peace, hope and love,

Lily