People have a fear of missing out.

They chase information all day long, worrying that they won’t know the latest controversy, the latest outrage, the latest gossip, the latest unkind word, the latest meaningless piece of drivel that matters not now nor ever, but which society is constantly, relentlessly shoving into our minds via every communication device possible — internet, tv, radio, whatever. About the only thing that doesn’t happen is direct streaming into our heads and there’s probably somebody working on that project right now.

I’m a little sick of it all … but at the same time, I agree.

People should be scared of missing out — scared of missing out on the wonderful, delectable, sublime things of life, not on the trivia that no one ever cared about as they pulled the last, sweet breath of air into their lungs. “Orange is the New Black” is a great distraction but it never stopped anyone in their tracks like a beautiful color-laden sunrise over the California desert or the puffs of cold air that burn and delight your throat during a hard run on a snowy New England morning.

See, people should be scared of missing out on:

life

love

holding a newborn baby

kissing a girl

high-fiving a toddler

getting your first pull-up

laughing so hard your tummy hurts

watching your little boy ride the pony at a birthday party

exulting after hitting a PR

rising out of the bottom of a heavy snatch

the feeling of going farther when you thought you had no farther in you

forgiving

raising something or someone other than yourself — a dog, a child, a bonsai tree, a tiny sea horse

helping a loved one leave this earthly life with grace and dignity

opening your heart so wide you think you will die

opening your mind so much that your brain hurts

opening your love so much that the light warms you and everyone you come in contact with

and a hundred million other things that cause your very soul to rise and see this world for how incredibly beautiful it is, not for how low it can be.

These are the sort of things you should be scared of missing.

Life is here in your hands, right now. What are you really missing?

________________________

“Every day we are engaged

in a miracle

we don’t even recognize.”

–Thich Nhat Hanh