Awareness
The towers crumble
I watch with horror
Smoke, ash,
Papers, concrete
Bodies, plane wreckage
All billow in clouds sharp and hurtful
Choking, blinding
Wounded survivors stagger
Coughing, bleeding, stunned
Caked in grime
Black become white
White become gray
And I know life would never be the same again
The impact of this event stopped us
Thousands, millions pause
In must-do lives
To watch
In the days that followed
Did we pause more often?
Did we hold loved ones closer?
Did we look at life afresh?
Amazed we pondered
How can human do that to human
Amazed we wondered
Will the human race survive?
Were we more honest?
More Aware?
Grateful for the Gift of Life
More aware of the world around us
More aware of our own responses
Stop
Pause
Rewind
Hold that thought
Stay with it
Unpack it
Here needs Awareness
Stay here
Aware – awake – alert
Day by day
Be
On the lookout for the details
That which slips past in the blur of busy
The minutiae
The small things
Things that make big things, great
Before reaching for more
Coffee, chocolate, food
Alcohol, nicotine,
Other drugs
Other comforts
Before Rushing on…
Pause for a moment and watch
Be aware
Be in the Moment
What is happening?
What am I feeling?
Right now
So often when busy with life
I recall
Arriving at destinations
As if by magic
I would turn off the ignition
Wondering how did I get here?
At least some part of the journey
A Blank
I was always hopeful
If someone had stepped out
If lights had changed
I would have reacted…
But I didn’t really know
If I had been busier perhaps I would not have wondered
Too easily
That Rip Tide of life pulls us out of control
Too easily
We put aside conscious thought
Slipping into automatic
Stressed out living becomes normal
I stand, nose pressed against a marble column
It fills my vision on all sides
I can see no way past
Nothing beyond
If I stay there
I will see little else
But one step
One small step
To one side or
To the other
One step away
Gives me a much clearer view
Suddenly the detail of splendid architecture
Fills my vision
Carvings, domed ceilings, art works,
Light filtering through stained glass windows
And I breathe
Amazed
I pause…
The danger?
Well…
If I see the roses
I may be compelled to stop
Smell them
Can I afford that Time?
Can I afford not to?
Do I really want a life so full
I cannot see
A smile
A tear
A glance
Or
A rend in the fabric of my own Wellbeing?
“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.”
William Blake – Auguries of Innocence
Words and Pictures © Denise Stanford 2010
More… follow PACE/PEACE in the Category Cloud
Within the Vine 
