16 Moments

Watch this video, 16 Moments, por favor. It caught my eye on the RadioLab blog. [More info on the best radio show ever (aka RadioLab) at the end of this post.] The most recent RadioLab show featured different theories on death and the afterlife; 16 moments is filmmaker Will Hoffman's response--capturing an array of life.

So much of the media input that confronts me moment-to-moment is negative. There is an entire movement of media that searches for alternative perspectives even (gasp!) the positive ones. Utne magazine comes to mind. It makes me so happy when I happen across uplifting moments in mainstream media. (Yes, I consider NPR mainstream, deal with it.) As I write that, the voice in my head (or should I say, the loudest voice in my head) says, "uplifting sounds like that Hallmark pull-your-heartstrings crap." So, for that voices sake, I say: I don't seek sappy. Rather, I seek a point of view that celebrates life: the good, the hard, the mundane. The world view of awe.

Watching 16 Moments reminded me of how I see differently when I'm on vacation. It is time away from routine and my senses feel sharper. I notice the details. Wandering Chicago I am distracted by the beautiful shadows created by fire escapes. In San Francisco I stop to take a photo of a phone booth showing its gay pride. Visiting Brooklyn I sit in Prospect Park for hours happily watching people. Noticing takes time as does happiness - both of them are cultivated practices. My goal this week is to notice as I go through each day.

Postscript: If you don't know RadioLab from WNYC, subscribe for their free podcast today! The show describes itself so well, I choose to quote it here:
"Radiolab believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow. Bring your curiosity, and we'll feed it with possibility."
How can you possibly resist that?!