Look At The Clouds – Take time to appreciate the moment

Those were the words from my six year old son this morning.

I looked.

It only then occurred to me how little I have paid attention to the life going on around me these days. It has become so easy to hunker down, bury myself in any number of pursuits and never give a thought to how much I was actually missing.

As professionals, focusing so much of our energy on the things that drive us, we take so little time to appreciate the beauty of this life we are living. I for one am quite skilled at forgetting to “smell the roses”.

My son does it every morning. Literally. I take a lesson in it as I walk him to school every day. He sees something beautiful or intriguing, he stops. Nothing else exists for him in that moment. He takes the time to experience the world around him, even as I tug at his little hand, ensuring he makes it to class on time.

I wish to tell stories as an actor. That is my passion and goal in my creative life. How I tell that story is derived from my life experiences. They inform the choices I make on camera or stage, it is where my personal truth comes from.

How, as an actor, can I hope to do this if my own life is…well…boring?

If your eyes are only ever on a prize, you miss so much of the enormously beautiful present.

Stop reading this and look up. Observe the colors, smells and sounds of wherever you may be. Watch the people at their business around you.

Now, look up at the sky. Consider the billions of events that had to occur to put you where you are right this very moment. Think of how astronomically improbable it is for any of us to be here.

Yet here we are.