I just took the most wonderful nap.
Today was a day that felt longer than it was in the best possible way. It’s ironic because today was one of the first Saturday’s this year where I stopped to enjoy the world around me. I performed at Porchfest NDG and then had the remainder of the day to wander around and see local music.
I got to see two separate bands do Karma Police.
The sun shined bright and it was one of the first “summer days” I’ve gotten to experience since last year.
Lately my life has been super hustle and mostly work, stopping to just enjoy the sun and meet new people was lovely.
Today I was thinking about the importance of stopping to smell the flowers.
Stopping to smell the flowers is an idiom about appreciation
Apparently in the 1956 book, The Walter Gagen Story, we get the infamous quote:You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way
I found a few sites that backed up that idea that Hagen was the originator before I got bored.
There’s no great mystery.It’s so easy to get caught up in the bustle of life that we forget to take the time to appreciate our work. There is a world of beauty around us and more often than not we miss it for the chaos we create in our day to day reality. As an example, it’s so easy to miss the swarms of happy neighbours out there when you are caught up debating in a Facebook Group.
Today we got to hit the pause button, because thankfully I’m in a position where that was viable this week. I appreciate that not everyone gets that luxury. When you can, take those moments.
That’s why I took that nap so I can enjoy the rest of the evening.
Today is not about going the extra mile on the grind, tomorrow I can deal with whatever slips through the cracks.
Being social in your neighbourhood is a productive activity
Performing in front of my neighbours is most definitely productive given my life goals.
However I know I could have packed up my stuff, gone home and been deep into an Uber Driver shift by now. Already this week I’m “down” because I needed to be ready for the show today. Had I jumped back into work, I would have missed out on the socializing I did today.
Over the course of the day I got to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones.
I was even able to meet a couple of new connects that can unlock the door to future endeavours.
A lot of the entertainment world is based on who you know. If you can find the people that can help you achieve your dreams, you are winning. Sometimes it takes going out into the world and being present to meet those people.
Participating in a fishbowl activity like the Porchfest festival also gives you a chance to congregate with folk and socialize without the stigma of disturbing folk.
Everyone’s there for the same reason, it’s a vibe.
While I can’t say I made money today, I did establish new relationships with new fans and that is worth more than money in the big picture.
Sometimes you really do need to just stop and appreciate the moment.
It’s easy to let moments fly away in the pursuit of the grind
I spent many years skipping things like Porchfest.
For those out there chasing your dreams, you need to stop sometimes and just take in the moment of your life, a good way to do that is events. As you get older time starts to go by faster. More and more life becomes routine and it’s easy to lock into the grind and have months disappear.
Then one day you stop and realize you aren’t necessarily enjoying life like you are supposed to.
It’s important to plan recreation.
Planned recreation shouldn’t be viewed as taking days off. In fact, like an active rest day, you can still use the time to get stuff done. Today I rapped, and wrote an article and politicked.
I also took the time to get some sun and via local music, smelled some metaphorical flowers.
In truth the next few days are going to be really weird over a personal matter. Next weekend is going to be another 20 hours or so of driving people around as I get right back into the cheddar chase. Despite what anyone says, you really need to take some time away from the chains of your life to stay sane.
It’s also important to take the time to create some memories.
Not every day is significant but you need to create significant days
The biggest flower smelling moment this year will be my upcoming Puerto Rico trip.
Vacations are a wonderful tool to stop and appreciate life. You are far away from home and hard to reach. It creates a wonderful opportunity to detach and focus on new stuff.
What’s amazing about novel stimuli is they are great for your memory.
One of the reasons life goes by “quicker” as we get older is because we stop creating new experiences for ourselves. Life becomes routine and routine things become harder to recall as time goes on.
Take a second to really think on the hodge podge that was COVID isolationism.
I did a lot virtually, but it was a lot of the same things on repeat.
Taking the time to experience my first Porchfest is a new experience. I’ll remember this day fondly. It’s one of a few this year where I’m going to let myself wander around the neighbourhood for hours without a plan.
What’s important is that I’ll have days like this to remember later on when I’m thinking back on my life. The older wiser ones have told me how powerful it is to create connections with people when you can. Stopping to smell the flowers and more importantly appreciate what’s around you is a great way to nurture those relationships.
Glad I took that nap because I am full of energy as the “night time” part of this Saturday kicks in.
Can’t wait to see what happens next.Live Long and Prosper Everyone