http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html
A friend of mine shared this story with me this morning, she shared the "summarized" version which was shared/posted by Roni Sloman of Bella Prana Yoga and Meditation:
Blogpost: http://www.bellaprana.com/blog/view/29-itsnotallaboutme
The Violinist
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. A couple people stopped for a moment then seemingly unimpressed hurried off clearly late for work.
One lady threw in a dollar tip on her way by but didn't stop. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top 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 his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station. One of the world most accomplished musicians, playing one of the most difficult pieces of music ever written, on a violin worth millions and thousands of people passed by without a single turn of the head.
Story experts from www.MrPositive.comAfter reading this story - all that came to mind, was wow!
I told that story in the context of not taking things personally because that story helps illustrate the fact that people will react to things and behave based on their current reality, their expectations of a certain environment, and their own definition of what is good and bad. There will be many moments in our lives where we will be Joshua Bell in the subway. Where you will be a priceless gem and no one will notice. Where you will produce incredible things, and no one will seem to care. Where you will be holding something of indescribable value and no one will even look. But like that experiment in the subway, just because no one cared didn't mean it wasn't priceless, incredible, and indescribably valuable. Joshua Bell knew as he played that he was being undervalued, and you will know it too. So in those moments what do you do? You keep playing. We cannot love ourselves only if others love us, and we cannot hate ourselves because others say they hate us. Don't take others reactions to you too personally. Don't make every situation about you. They are often reacting to themselves and their environment more than they are reacting to you. Remember that sometimes your job is just to play.
- Roni Sloman
What a beautiful story, a beautiful lesson.
Learn to Stop to Smell the Roses gains a whole new meaning.
And I love Roni's quote: "Remember that sometimes your job is just to play."
Thank you all for this beautiful learning. When I spot, hear, taste, smell, whatever... it is that is beautiful to me, I hope to capture that moment in appreciation and consume it's value in my soul.
