Stop, Look and Listen

Have you ever just stopped and listened?
Have you ever just stopped and really looked?
Have you ever really taken the time to look around you and hear all that is passing you by?

Just try it.  Walk to an intersection, stop and watch all the faces of those walking past. Everyone with their own purpose, their own destination. Their own troubles and their own joys.

We are quick to judge but looks are not always as they seem.
 I wonder what really is on the mind of the older man sitting on the bench.  Maybe he is a returned veteran from one of the wars who has never found the desire to talk about all that he saw.  Maybe the memories are too painful that he tries to block them out.  He is a true hero but would never admit it.  I wonder if his family are aware of his anguish?

The smart dressed lady who is rushing from one store to another.  She must be about 60, stylish hair and obviously takes pride in her appearance.  She has a big smile on her face.  I wonder if she is purchasing items for a new grandchild who has finally filled the empty hole in her heart?  Maybe she has a secret she hangs on to with a sly grin?  I wonder if her Husband knows?

The young mum totally overwhelmed by the child she is pushing around in a pram screaming.  She is doing the best she can with the stares from passers -by burning into her as she tries to calm her child.  I wonder if this babe was planned or is a bundle who has totally thrown her world upside down but, who is also determined to finish her education and provide the best life she can for them both? We should not assume.

We are quick to judge.  We do not know the story's of these people and we can make up our own but they are the only ones who will ever really know.  We live in our little cocoon of comfort and safety that gives us a feeling of belonging.  Do these people have that feeling?

Do you ever stop, look and listen to the colours and sounds that come at us from all angles? 
 Did you see the new flash of yellow that has been painted on the door of the home at number 2? 
 Did you hear the birds calling in the morning to herald a new day?
Did the sound of an ambulance in the far distance give you cold shivers as you prayed it was no one you knew?  Do we remember though, that person is known and loved by somebody?  Many of us don't.

Did you see the beautiful red roses blooming through the fence next door?  Did you get a waft of their scent as you walked past?? 
Did you take the time to wave to the family over the road who were sitting on their veranda having tea?
Did you see the sunset that evening turn from orange to red with a fire yellow in between?
 The answer is probably not .

Our lives in the year 2012 are hectic.  They do not truly give us time to stop and smell the roses.  In between running children from one activity to the next and working either in our homes or a Job that takes you away from a family that needs you, we just don't seem to have time.

Why have we become busier?  What has changed?
Is there more expectation that we will provide more for our children?  Is it assumed that you must have 3 or more activities for your kids each week?  Is it peer pressure? I think in part .. yes.

Children defiantly want more.  It only takes one in a class room to have the latest fandangled computer game or toy for them all to desire it.
There is the expectation that they WILL have it.
The term " Sorry but I can not afford it" seems to be incomprehensible to many of them as they do tend to think money just comes out of the hole in the wall so we should just go and get some more.
It can be a hard lesson for them to learn.

We have become hardened to what goes on around us.  We can drive past a horrible accident, say to ourselves how terrible it is then keep driving with out giving it another thought.
We can watch the news and every night the announcer will say "Good Evening" and then go on to tell us why it is not. 
Have we become so desensitised to the atrocities going on around us that we really don't give it a second thought? Yes I think we have.

We do need to Stop, Look and Listen.  We need to acknowledge that the world does not revolve around our own little cocoon.  That life can be hard and even harder for some.
I realise I have been superficial at times and I believe we all are to some degree.  I can joke on my blog as I really enjoy expressing who I am and what I am capable of but I do know I need to take my own advice and Stop, Look and Listen to what surrounds me.  I really don't want to miss it as I think it is a ride worth taking .