I was at a basketball game recently when something happened. A stunt the cheerleaders were performing went wrong…a girl fell and got hurt. I think my heart stopped and my daughter wasn’t even the cheerleader that was hurt. It was during half time. They always have the clock running during half time so the teams can know when to begin warming up again before they start the second half. But not today…as all of this was going on, I look up at the clock and…it was stopped. There was no countdown…for that moment, time seemed to stand still. Those are the moments that become forever embedded in your mind.
Time seems to stand still on a few occasions…like watching a car accident…or seeing something tragic happen right before your eyes.
Or, like sitting at the bedside of someone as they take their last breath…People say that life flashes before their eyes when they experience something tragic or life-altering. There may not be another time to say what needs to be said to people. We may not get another moment to love on those that mean something to us. I understand that may sound cliche.
For me, though, I don’t always stop to really see people until the clock stops. I don’t consider what I should or should not be saying until there is no opportunity left to speak. I don’t often reflect on what I should or shouldn’t be doing until it is all said and done.
What might our lives look like if we started seeing what really is around us…without the clock stopping? What should we say or do or not say if the clock was to stop right now? What do you need to change, even if the clock keeps on counting?
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 