Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Blinded?

These are the routes I travel at least a couple of times a week - usually bound for some sort of meeting.
DH travels them daily.
The top two photos are of Ou Kaapse Weg, which goes through a nature reserve in the mountains.
The last one is of Boyes Drive above Muizenberg
Both have exquisite views and both are destinations for enthralled tourists,
specially Boyes Drive -
(the scene of the recently set new record for greatest number of surfers on one wave).
Maybe the word "routine" speaks of the numbed mindset resulting from travelling the same route over and over again.
My mind was set on my destination -
I was oblivious to my surroundings
I may as well have been blind.
(Except I would have crashed the car - no, I'm being silly - but you know what I mean, hey?)
This thought was like a wake up shake:
"Don't miss the journey: look! see! enjoy! embrace! Its just as important as the destination"
I did - and could be awestruck again.
How many times do we do that in life?
We are so set on some future goal:
getting a degree; a job; the right guy;
having kids;
having kids sleep through;
getting them weaned;
having them go to school;
passing Matric;
finding purpose in a post-child-rearing part of life
whatever -
But always something in the future.
It is SO easy to miss the scenery of every day; the beauty of where we are right now.
I know this is an old story - another way of saying
"Live in the moment; carpe diem."
But with the way we are wired,
I think we need reminding
Often.
Well, I sure do

5 comments:

Lynette Jacobs said...

Thank you for this reminder. We do tend to rush through life and miss all the enjoyment.

It must be wonderful to have those views every day...what a blessing.

Shayne said...

Thank you for this reminder.

I am reminded of the beauty of where we live when we have visitors - but daily i am blinded. I don't see the rolling hills, green valleys and the multitude of indigenous flora that surrounds our farm.

Today that changed.

Thanks to you.

Meriel said...

i know these views. they are as familiar as home. lovely post ;-)

Gill said...

So, so true. I live on the coast and there are often days when if you asked me what the sea looked like today I couldn't tell you...forgot to look at it!! Shameful really when you think of the thousands of holiday-makers who spend a fortune to come here for a glimpse of the sea.

Terry said...

Isn't it the truth. If we only knew what we miss because we are in a hurry to get some place. I don't know how it is in Cape Town, but in the U.S. we seem to always be in a hurry. I'm sure I have missed plenty.

You sure do live in a beautiful part of the world.