Hi y’all, welcome to the Shiny Side Up! A journal of infectious inspiration that will lift you up, make you smile and leave you stronger.
I heard a story recently about an experiment conducted by the Washington Post. On a cold January morning in 2007, a man posing as a street musician played for commuters in a Washington D.C. Metro Station. Over one thousand people passed by. Six people stopped momentarily. About twenty gave him money. In total, he collected $32. He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded.
Here’s the irony: the man playing was Joshua Bell, one of the world’s most renowned violinists, playing a complex concerto on a $3.5 million dollar Stradivarius.
In life, it is so easy to rush by our blessings. They are all around us — everyday — yet we miss them because we’re focused on our iPhones, our watches, or our to-do lists. We choose busyness over blessings. We would do well to remember the old saying: “Even if you win the rat race, you’re still just a rat in first place.”
This week when you are rushing about, make yourself stop for a moment and look around. Who do you see? What do you hear? The odds are someone around you is playing beautiful music. The question is . . . will you notice?
Susan is a Baptist minister and the author of, Laugh Your Way to Grace.