We're never there, are we?

Before sharing my readings, my musings, my craftings...I'd like to share a video I stumbled upon a few months ago, and that has deeply shaken me.
Mainly the video explains things I knew already, but...in a different way, and I had a kind of epiphany. I realized most of the time, in spite my intellectual understanding and awareness, I still am not there. I always am somewhere else in my mind.
My mind, like most of us, is a wild horse, taking me to another place where truly I should just...be there.
Yes, I know life is short. Life is precious. We all say that, don't we?
I know, I know...but hell, I mustn't know much, to keep moving forward in my mind.
In the video, we hear a brilliant mind, Alan Watts. I heard so many of his talks, but this one brought me back to my centre and my essentials. It is beautiful. It is true. I daresay it is useful.

Alan Watts - Life is a dance, not a journey

I am a project girl. I live for hope and strive for improvement.  But that shouldn't stop me from enjoying the dance. Yet, I believe I have so many times thought about the ending.
I have so often seen my life as a journey. Not as a dance.
In our society, I feel most of us are in a mad rush. We are rushing our kids in this mad race.
In my civil life, I am...a teacher. I know see so many young people. Great, funny, ambitious, bright. But I see so many focused on their future career, their grades, their successes. Some of them told me they hadn't really considered what they liked, they had only considered what they should do, what was the likeliest path to success. Many told me money was necessary for them to be happy.
I am a mom and my eldest has entered junior high...and I see the mad rush there too. So many parents doing their best so that their kids... are the best.
We take our kids to leisure activities that have become a source of medals and certificates (not that I am against them, but are they the ultimate goal?).
But...are we there? Are we there to cuddle and kiss, breathe the fresh air, enjoy this morning sunset when we set off to work?
Are we there to taste this meal we're eating? Do we really feel this coffee we're drinking?
Do we have time left, in our lives and in our minds, to enjoy the security of this roof over our heads?
Worse, are we there to listen to our kids, I mean, really?
Our lives are short, but don't we shorten them by getting lost in a maze of thoughts and prospects?
Don't we miss out way too much?

Since school year started (beginning of september in France), I've made a point to stop hurrying. I've been determined to be slower. I've found that I am still on time at appointments, that people seem to smile back more often, that my body unwinds in a much needed way, that I don't get angry so much. That I am more present and that it feels good. That I realize even more how much is missed out and what mad pressure we undergo in our modern busy active lives.
I find I do enjoy the dance. And I'm done with the journey.

Lots of love to you all,
Val