So many people list as a hobby "listening to music". Me too! But how often do we really do it? I mean, yeah, there's music on in the background almost wherever I go, even at the law office. It's nice most of the time, and I find it pleasant. But I wouldn't say that this qualifies as "listening to music".
When is the last time you found yourself doing just that, and nothing else? Just sitting down or laying back, listening to music? It's really quite enjoyable -- of course it is, this is why we all list it as a hobby. Why don't we do it more? During our leisure time, shouldn't we be doing things that are really awesome?
It's like eating. How many of us say, "Gosh, I love food!" or more specifically "I love chocolate!" or "Blood oranges are my favorite." or "Avocados are delicious!" These foods are so good! But so often, when we eat them, we are also doing other things. We are also reading the internet, or playing on our phones, or watching tv, or driving, or whatever.
Food is SOOOOOOO good! Let's just take that tiny tiny bit of time it takes to place it in our mouths, chew, and swallow, and not do anything else then.
Really, it's not a humongous commitment. The rewards are fantastic. And it also counts as a meditation.
Last night I decided that I was denying myself too much great enjoyment, and it was time to indulge in the Good Things in Life. I turned out the lights, put on my nice headphones, and listened to the entirety of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. I really got into it, experiencing the themes, the individual notes, the harmonies, the quality of each sound, the composition as a whole, the grace and poignancy of the violin, etc.
It was great! It was intense! It was something I might look back at and remember as a really great evening. Otherwise I might have just been surfing the internet or playing a game, not really doing much of note. I don't get that much leisure time, so I'm going to make good use of it!
