The American national anthem’s played before almost every game in the National Hockey League. But sometimes there’s not even one American competing or coaching in the actual game. So what’s the point? The point is there doesn’t always have to be a point.
Taking a moment just to calm yourself, be present in the physical place you actually are, and to refocus isn’t done nearly enough. So it’s not about why you’re taking a moment to pause.
At dawn tomorrow, there are memorial services all across Australia to commemorate Anzac Day, which I think is our true National day; the one that is the clearest snapshot of what ‘being Australian’ means. The Last Post is a traditional bugle salute given every Anzac Day at the crack of dawn, to symbolise the Australian and New Zealand troops rushing ashore in Gallipoli, Turkey in 1917. Dawn also symbolises a significant time for those that fought. It was those last few moments to pause and reflect, look around at those in the same scary position as them, and steel themselves for what they knew were probable horrors that lay ahead.
So, pause. Take a few moments to just be present in this moment right here, right now. Inhale, exhale, just listen and think about who you are, everything you have, and be grateful. Grateful that you are physically able to read this or that you have something to eat tonight, or that you don’t live in a war zone where it’s possible a missile could land on your roof while you sleep.
In the context of the stars, the oceans, stromatolites and all the other really old stuff in the universe, we don’t get that many moments. And another one just went past.