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.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
~ W. H. Davies ~
Davies is not writing about nature. Not really. He is writing about attention. About the way life slips past when every moment is spent chasing the next one. We convince ourselves that meaning waits somewhere ahead, after the next achievement, the next deadline, the next problem solved. Meanwhile, the very thing we are searching for keeps happening in front of us unnoticed. The tragedy is not that life is short. The tragedy is that we are often absent while it unfolds. We rush through mornings, conversations, seasons, even entire years, believing we are living when we are merely moving. Davies reminds us that wonder is not hidden. It is available almost everywhere. The challenge is not finding it. The challenge is slowing down long enough to see it.
Question to Carry
Where in your life are you moving so fast that you no longer notice what is still beautiful?
