This is the Time You Have (In JellyBeans)

So ... what will you do today?

Take the time

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.

He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.

During that time approx 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

 4 minutes later: the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

 10 minutes: A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as 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. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

 45 minutes: The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. 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 played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

 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 people's priorities.

The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

Do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment 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 finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments .... How many other things are we missing???

“Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” -- M. Scott Peck

“Time is life. It is irreversible and irreplaceable. To waste your time is to waste your life, but to master your time is to master your life and make the most of it.” -- Alan Lakein

Imagine a bank credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever balance you have failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course.

Each of us has such a bank, called "time." Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against "tomorrow." You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success. The clock is running. Make the most of today.

Whenever you think that time is not your most valuable commodity in life:
Ask a student who failed a grade, about the value of one year.
Ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby, about the value of one month.
Ask the editor of a weekly newspaper, about the value of one week.
Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet, about the value of one hour.
Ask a person who missed the train, about the value of one minute.
Ask a person who just avoided an accident, about the value of one second. Treasure every moment for the account will irrevocably clear out tonight, with no roll-over.

Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.

V/R,
Scott Sonnon
www.facebook.com/ScottSonnon
www.positiveatmosphere.com

"Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sun rise."

-- Sophia Bedford-Pierce

"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery."

-- H. G. Wells