Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Jan 16, 2009
What is this life if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep, or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
William Henry Davies 1871 - 1940
In this period following our January resolutions, a paradox creeps in. Don't they push our minds away from the present? There is nothing wrong in setting goals for yourself; in fact, that is an excellent way to stimulate our minds to become more positive. However, by so doing, make sure that you don't lose an awareness of the here and now.
To avoid worrying too much about the future, try savouring the present. In her memoir ‘Eat, Pray, Love' Elizabeth Gilbert wrote about a friend who, whenever she sees a beautiful place, exclaims in a near panic ‘It's so beautiful here! I want to come back here someday'. This person needed a lot of convincing that she was actually there in that beautiful place at that precise moment, so she should enjoy it right now.
