Zen and the Art of Enormous Balls

foyer, before the show, no pictures inside allowed...

Blue Man Group puts on a spectacular show. I had watched you tube videos, but was completely unprepared for this marvelous experience. I won't go about the performance, you'll just have to get yourself to one to appreciate it, but what I want to talk about is the ending.
 
Music, drumming, lights, paper streamers running through the entire audience, and Balls. Six enormous light filled balls that fell from the ceiling and were bounced around by the paper covered, dancing audience with a music and light show that was inside and outside the balls, it was fantastic. Of course all you wanted to do was be one of the hands that touched one of the balls and sent it off again (I did, twice, it was great), but at some point I realized that all I was focusing on was getting my hands on the ball and I was missing a much bigger show.

The show where all my kids, and everyone around me was laughing, dancing and really enjoying themselves. The show where the lights, music and paper were the best time you'd ever had. The show, that in the time it lasted, was a moment when we were all joyous and together, and to see that whole picture I had to pull back my focus, for a moment, and experience what was going on around and beside me.

It was difficult, and I only managed to stop and look around me for a moment before I was lunging after the bouncing balls, but it was enough. I thought, as I paused, I need to do this in my life. Stop chasing my tail (balls? too easy, will save that for another post), stop and really look around. Be awake. Be present. Everything else is icing.  

The magic of that moment didn't last, such is the nature of moments, but perhaps the thought will be a lasting change, a reminder for me on what I can do with this life of mine.

I find enlightenment in the oddest places, but that's life I suppose, and if you're going to live it you have to be awake and be open to receive what wisdom the world has to offer you, because sometimes it comes in the unlikeliest places, say in enormous bouncing balls...