Let the Stable still Astonish

I often think of this poem at Christmas time.  Enjoy the reflections of Let the Stable still Astonish by Leslie Leyland Fields. 

Let the stable still astonish:
Straw-dirt floor, dull eyes,
Dusty flanks of donkeys, oxen;
Crumbling, crooked walls;
No bed to carry that pain,

And then, the child,
Rag-wrapped, laid to cry
In a trough.
Who would have chosen this?
Who would have said: “Yes,
Let the God of all the heavens and earth
Be born here, in this place”?

Who but the same God
Who stands in the darker, fouler rooms
of our hearts and says, “Yes,
let the God of Heaven and Earth
be born here–
in this place.”

-Leslie Leyland Fields

A Deeper Experience

Imagine with me this scenario for a moment:

**
You are alone in the car driving to work.   Your phone is taking a nap; peacefully silent in the seat beside you.

A new song comes on the radio.  The intro catches your attention and you turn it up.

The words speak to you.  The story flows slowly but meaningfully until the last chorus leaves you in tears.

The song is beautiful.  And you have experienced it.

You purchase the song that night and play it for your friend the next day as you are headed to lunch.  But another friend you are meeting at the restaurant is running late and she calls mid-verse to tell you this.  With all the distractions that ensue, your friend in the car does not feel the same way about the song as you did upon first hearing it.

**

There is a difference between experiencing a song and listening to a song.

Which makes me wonder, does this apply to life as well?

If I'm constantly multi-tasking, am I missing a chance to experience meaningful parts of life?

How many conversations do I have while doing something else, or maybe multiple things?

I know there are times when we need to be efficient, to accomplish, to multi-task.

But I believe there are also times when we need to focus.  To put down the iPhone, close Facebook, stop making lists in our mind, and truly experience the present.

If we don't, we run the risk of missing the heart of our daily interactions and the ability to experience life at a deeper level.