by Judy Ann Davis
Summer is slipping away, and fall is slowly nudging its way in as I write this. I'll miss summer. It provides one of the most beautiful landscapes for us in Central Pennsylvania.
How aware are you of the world around you? Do you take time to hear the song of the birds in the morning or the serenade of insects at
night? Do you pause to hear the far off lonely sound of a train whistle?
Do you
stop what you’re doing to gaze skyward and enjoy a colorful cloud formation
floating across the sky? When you see a bed of vibrant flowers that catches your
eye, do you stoop to touch their soft petals and smell their fragrance?
Too often in life, we are rushing through the world, heading
from one activity to another, unaware of the universe around us. We become so caught
up in our personal activities that we confuse being alive with living. True
living means we’re connected with the universe around and cognizant of it.
Being alive is merely breathing and being functional, and often we erroneously confuse
rushing from one activity to the next as living. It's not.
We all need to take time to pay attention to what is around
us and make a connection to the world and the people in it. To live means
seeing, sensing, and connecting with everything and everyone around us—using our
five senses of taste, sight, touch, hearing and smell. It’s taking time to appreciate our marvelous
planet and its people. It’s also a wonderful way to squeeze in a few moments of
calmness, awareness, and sheer enjoyment in our chaotic lives...and maybe share
those moments with others as well.