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When I was a little one, my mom liked to make breakfast and dinner every day. And I remember one night in particular when she had made dinner after a long, hard day at work. On that evening, my mom placed a plate of egg, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed it. Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite? When I got up from the table I heard my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said "Baby, I love burned toast"!
Later that night, I went to kiss daddy and say good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned! He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Dear, your mamma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired, And besides a little burnt toast never hurt anyone. You know life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. "What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults and choosing to celebrate each other's differences. It is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy growing and lasting relationship." During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count towards our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. In Washington D.C., at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about forty-five minutes. During that time, over 1000 people went through the station, most on their way to work. After about three minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
The musician played continuously. Of 1097 people who walked by, only seven stopped and listened for a short while. Twenty more gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.17 He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest 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 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.
In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
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 ever made . . . How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?
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