Details
Details; noun- the small elements that collectively constitute a work of art. These are the tiniest of things that if one isn’t looking, will go unnoticed. From the moment our eyes open every morning,’til we rest our weary heads, so many seemingly subordinate pieces of our lives remain unseen. What do you notice about this picture (courtesy of my friend Maria)? The very first thing I thought was “oh, its an eye.” And that is how our world sees life. Work is work, school is school, home is home, life is life. What if we saw past what things appear to be, or how they are expected to go.
Ask yourself, “when was the last time I stared into someone’s eyes?” Do you know what doing so represents?
The slowing down of time, the acknowledgment of someone close to us, and the recognition that life is so much more than just the Big Picture. We can get so caught up in the next step, what is to come, or what we are dreaming about, that we absolutely miss the memories waiting for us in the meantime.
Is it our fault? Can we help it? It seems like these lost fractions of time are unavoidable. Americans work, on average, 35 hours per week, with individual reports of 47 hours average. Boy have I been there. Allow me to paint a picture: wake up, get ready, eat, drive, work, drive, eat, prep for tomorrow, sleep, repeat….5,6,sometimes 7 times a week. How could we possibly fit any time for our passions, for watching the clouds or having picnics with our children? If we work so much chasing our dreams of retirement or paying of loans, we surely don’t have time for things like gazing into someone’s eyeball!
But let’s think this out… because I have since been shaken off the hamster wheel and now see with different perspective how much I had been missing out on. If we work 40-ish hours a week, for 40 years, to maybe retire one day, and sit back and “enjoy” a mere 40% of our earnings, is it worth it? If we realize its not, is it too late? Absolutely not! We are the ONLY ones who choose how we spend our time. Maybe cut some obligations out, let the laundry sit, re-budget and see if you can cut back.
Find something you’re passionate about it and build a business out of it. Do it now! Have you considered how almost all the great entrepreneurs of this world have made it? They saw an opportunity to break free of the freight train that is life. It can be a blur at this speed. Find your way out- slow down, even for five minutes, and breathe life in. Notice how the iris looks like waves in the ocean. How the spot of honey color grabs your attention. Each day is a good and perfect gift. Are you living for the “what’s next” in life? Or are you loving every season and staying grateful? There IS a way out, I promise. And in the meantime, while you’re still spinning so fast all you see is a plain ole’ eye, find some moments to take delight in the “little things.” Because as it turns out, they are what make memories so memorable. Life is a beautiful masterpiece- perceive every second.