I was driving home from the rink late tonight and had what I can only describe as a bit of an out-of-body experience.
I was following two other cars and we were spaced out by a few hundred yards. We were headed down a slope so I, at higher elevation, could clearly see the cutoff for each car's headlights. And it was almost as if I was above my car, looking down at all three puddles of light.
Good drivers look outside of their puddle of light. They look into the darkness and watch for movements, reflections and shadows that look out of place. Bad drivers can only see that cutoff of illumination, they cannot see outside of their puddle of light.
I have had several deep conversations with three close friends today. We mostly talked about general things and it was good to catch up with all of them. My most profound conversation was with my Reverend. She and I bounced ideas off each other almost as if we were riffing of each others comments and ideas. I greatly appreciate the fact that each time we talk, I learn something from my younger friend. As much as I may have held her hand in the past, she continues to hold mine as I wander through this life.
All three conversations I had deal directly with these puddles of light. The author Paulo Coelho has written on how most people tend to operate in the small sphere of space around their bodies. They walk with their eyes down, looking only to the next footstep. They don't see the people, the architecture, the landscape or the majestic beauty of life that surrounds them. Instead, they operate step to step and point to point without getting involved in all that revolves around their small orb, their small puddle of light.
We need to always hold our eyes to the horizon. We need to acknowledge those friends and strangers that surround us. We need to acknowledge the beauty that can be found in even the most mundane aspects of life. And, perhaps most importantly, we need to realize how our actions, even in our small puddle of light, can so dramatically affect everyone around us. This occurs in all we do. Our relationships with our partners and friends, how we work with others in the office or on the ice, how we acknowledge the strangers who approach us on the sidewalk and how we deal with life in general. I've been doing my best to hold my eyes to the horizon and I am amazed at what I get to see.
I was following two other cars and we were spaced out by a few hundred yards. We were headed down a slope so I, at higher elevation, could clearly see the cutoff for each car's headlights. And it was almost as if I was above my car, looking down at all three puddles of light.
Good drivers look outside of their puddle of light. They look into the darkness and watch for movements, reflections and shadows that look out of place. Bad drivers can only see that cutoff of illumination, they cannot see outside of their puddle of light.
I have had several deep conversations with three close friends today. We mostly talked about general things and it was good to catch up with all of them. My most profound conversation was with my Reverend. She and I bounced ideas off each other almost as if we were riffing of each others comments and ideas. I greatly appreciate the fact that each time we talk, I learn something from my younger friend. As much as I may have held her hand in the past, she continues to hold mine as I wander through this life.
All three conversations I had deal directly with these puddles of light. The author Paulo Coelho has written on how most people tend to operate in the small sphere of space around their bodies. They walk with their eyes down, looking only to the next footstep. They don't see the people, the architecture, the landscape or the majestic beauty of life that surrounds them. Instead, they operate step to step and point to point without getting involved in all that revolves around their small orb, their small puddle of light.
We need to always hold our eyes to the horizon. We need to acknowledge those friends and strangers that surround us. We need to acknowledge the beauty that can be found in even the most mundane aspects of life. And, perhaps most importantly, we need to realize how our actions, even in our small puddle of light, can so dramatically affect everyone around us. This occurs in all we do. Our relationships with our partners and friends, how we work with others in the office or on the ice, how we acknowledge the strangers who approach us on the sidewalk and how we deal with life in general. I've been doing my best to hold my eyes to the horizon and I am amazed at what I get to see.
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