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Friday, August 15, 2008

Shift Happens

I just saw a You Tube blip called Shift Happens. It was so intriguing, that I could not step away for the brief moment to lay my sleeping newborn in his bassinet. What occurred to me is that life is moving at light speed, to what end is unknown. While watching this I remember seeing a timeline my dad had shown me about technological progression that was equally as shocking ten years ago and I remember feeling concern that things would only continue to speed up. The gap between inventions is becoming less and less, the speed of ingenuity continues to progress at light speeds, the amount of information available and force fed to every person during every possible moment is overwhelming and seems to be endless, relentless and all consuming.

My motivation for sharing these thoughts you may be wondering, is the reflection on this information while I hold my newborn son in my arms enjoying how much life has slowed down in so many ways since his arrival. I am not pressured to read 180,000 times the information a person in Shakespearean times would have read in their lifetime in one sitting of reading the New York Times. I’m not interested in creating a My Space account or Text messaging rather than speaking to those I know and love. I am interested in connecting and helping other people get reconnected in their lives and particularly with their spouses and children.

I’m interested in paying closer attention to things that impact and matter directly to my life and those around me. I’m trying to figure out why we are moving at the speed of light so to speak, what is the rush about? Is there a race to the finish? What will we be missing by going so fast, what errors will we make by not taking the extra moment to create a place we want to be and want to return to in order to get away from this rat race? What is so important that we must be on the go 18 hours a day continuing this pattern, particularly when our families and our health are negatively impacted? When do we say enough and choose to take a step back to reflect? I had already been thinking about this prior to receiving this video clip. I noticed how amazing it was to sit and rock my new baby in silence on a crisp fall morning watching the leaves change and shift from Summer in preparation for Winter. I listened to the sounds of the dead leaves tickling across the pavement and took in the feeling of the cool air rustling the golden and amber maple leaves. I could not have been sitting in greater silence or peace. I could not have been more aware, grounded or serene. This for me was a shift happening! I have new choices and a new focus and a new purpose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q