Listening to life

It started with the sharp sounds of robins chirping. There's a robin's nest under our porch, and these parents must have been deciding who was getting the next meal for the babies. As I basked in the cacophony of their conversation, I heard an edger rev up in a neighbor's yard. The aggressive whirring quickly became the bass line, with the robin chirps coming in intermittently. Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from above me, followed by the pitter-patter of my girls running into the house with their shoes on. The vibrations came together to form a sweet harmony. The rhythms of life were mesmerizing - SNAP. The focus provided by the ding of an email returned so I could reply to the latest questions on the deal.

Moments like these used to come once in a blue moon. In fact, I tended to wait for a blue moon to even stop and look for them. I've always been a 'chaser of the magnificent'. Looking out for the bear in the forest instead of seeing the forest itself. Waiting for the view at the peak while ignoring the views along the way. It doesn't have to be that way.

Sam Harris calls it "punctuating your life with moments of clarity." I'm trying to spend more time cultivating this skill, or rather, this mindset. One of the ways has been trying to listen to the soundtrack of life between activities. When you start being present in the present, wonder requires no miracles.