Time To Breathe

Here is something I had found interesting this week. I went to pay rent and brought my iPod Touch along to play music during the short walk to the office. Once I was outside, noticed that my iPod battery was dead. Since it was only a 2 minute walk, I shrugged and went without music. I had taken the habit of always bringing music with me whenever I went for a walk anywhere.

On my way out of the office, I decided that, on the short walk back, I would take a moment to look at my surroundings and appreciate nature. As you can guess by the layout, I love nature and all it has to offer. I figured I wouldn't have much to appreciate though, as I had lived in that area for two years, and walked in that area quite a few times. I thought that if there was something to appreciate, it would have been... appreciated already.

I saw this:


Now this may not look like much to most people, but I am a person who enjoys seeing opposites in one setting. I had to stop on the side of the road and stare at the way the leaves, most of which very much alive (I say most, as some can be seen affected by the chilly fall weather) hang around large, inanimate rocks. It fascinated me. But what fascinated me most: How did I not see this before?

I knew they were there. I had looked at them before in the countless times I had walked past. But I had not seen them. I had not taken the time to really see how everything fell together in this one scene. In today's world, I am so used to listening to music, to watch the road as I drive (which I'm still gonna do, nature or not!) or think about the day's tasks that I was looking at everything in life, but not seeing most of it.

So I decided that, regularly, I will take off the headphones, forget about society, and take a few moments just to see what is around me. Take a few moments just to breathe.