Today as I was walking home from work and the gym I was plotting my way home- it was raining and I was trying to decide if I absolutely had to do anything or pick anything up at the grocery store before I was home for the rest of the day. I found myself across the street from the library and noticed a choir in the atrium. I assumed they were singing carols. I thought about ignoring them and rushing home. I thought, 'how nice, a choir. Moving on. What's for dinner? Do I need to pick up bread?' I also thought, 'no I'm across the street and there's so much traffic and I kind of have to pee.'
I'm really glad I decided to cross the street.
It was the Esquimalt High School choir and there were about 25 kids. They were singing songs I didn't recognize. I started crying. Because I cry at beautiful things and beautiful moments and their voices were so beyond what it looked like would come out of them that I was just...stunned.
I stayed for 4 songs. The teacher joked in between each song and you could tell the kids were sort of embarrassed but also secretly proud that people were watching them. There was both boys and girls, bundled up from the cold, wearing scarves and gloves and Santa hats, scuffed chuck taylors, or uggs, or leather boots. Long hair, short hair, make up, no make up. The news tells you about all the bullying and on line torment and suicide for bullied kids but for those 4 songs all that went away. These people were just singing in a high school choir.
I mean, sure maybe some of them wanted to check their text messages or update their instafacebookogram or something but for now they were there, truly in a moment and it was lovely.
I watched the people that had stopped to listen. And the people that didn't. One girl continued discussing, in depth, loudly, her tuna sandwich to her colleague as she strutted past. A homeless dude with a dog and a shopping cart strolled through, bemused. People came back from their lunch with take out boxes and quietly stepped though the crowd to get back to work.
But a lot of people stopped. I think people were really appreciative to just have a moment. A moment where the outside noise stopped and all there was was this atrium and the kid's incredible voices. (And my phone. Which chose to ring at this particular moment of all moments. I turned it off)
A mom with her kids paused to listen and her little boy said 'mommy, this is cool'. (Spoiler alert, I cried again)
Moral of the story: take a moment. Pause. Especially at this time of year. Life can be brutal and harsh and just like, windy, but it can also be really really calm and beautiful and surprising.
If you let it.
