Scheme of Things
There was no particular reason why I thought five was the correct number. But, it seemed an appropriate age to take my granddaughter to her first Nutcracker. So, right after her fifth birthday, she and I, and her mom, went to a matinee performance of the Colorado Ballet.
She was a bit nervous, but as soon as she noticed other little girls in sparkly dresses with their moms and Nanas she was excited. We'd read the book in the morning, but that didn't matter. It wasn't the story that grabbed her as the curtain opened. It wasn't the ballet dancers or the music, or the elaborate set design or beautiful staging, either. It was the experience of experiencing.
I'd imagined my own joy would come in watching her have her first theater production and ballet watching experience. While it was wonderful to have her sitting on my lap, intently focused on the dancers, that was not the magic.
It started with an expanded announcement: no cell phones could be turned on, no lighted screens present in the theater, no text messages sent, no calls made, no pictures taken. Honoring the elimination of electronic interrupters, an absorbed audience contributed to the transformation of this real-world reprieve. And two hours of being in an experience ensued.
The pressures of a looming book deadline melted away; the mind-chatter of a to-do litany left conscious thought; worries interrupting sleep the past weeks, along with the everyday stuff of life pressing inward, were suspended like a helium balloon above the Opera House that afternoon. Life's noise was muffled. And the magic took over.
I was struck that day by what many of us are unknowingly giving away - what we're losing by our always multitasking, ever busy, never still lives. We've cannibalized the unplugged pause with a constant hum of ever-present stuff, providing us an illusion of connection and experience, but falling short of actually creating one.
We're forgetting how to be; how to savor an experience enveloped in a moment; how to feel the warmth of blanketed renewal in the not-needing-to-be-doing-anything time. Perhaps that's why more and more vacation spots are offering unplugged, "black-hole" resorts where people pay more to not get a connection to the outside world.
In the scheme of things, experiencing magic isn't about dancers or music, beautiful settings, or events. It's about being open to and in an experience. It's about connecting in the moment; about being there. That was the gift I gave my granddaughter (and myself) that day. After all, time is life's non-renewable currency, and memory-making its music. Sharing a bit of its magic is magical.
(c) 2012 Nan S. Russell. All Rights Reserved.
Nan S. Russell is the award-winning
author of "Hitting Your Stride: Your Work, Your Way." Her new book, "The Titleless Leader," comes out May 2012. More about Nan
and her work can be found at www.nanrussell.com. Sign up to receive Nan's free monthly eColumn at: www.intheschemeofthings.com
© Copyright 2002-2012 by Magic City Morning Star
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Experiencing Magic - Feb 1, 2012 - 2:39:13 PM
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