This was a grea hoax, and a great article by the Washington Post.  I am grateful to feel confident I would have stopped, because I always stop for the street musicians if they’re any good at all.

But that brings up a point.

You see, I’m not a commuter.  I work from home, on a flexible schedule, and take care of my kids.  I’m also a writer.  So whether I’m going out with the kids or without them, a part of me is always open to life, ready and watching.

But I don’t kid myself.  My flexible lifestyle and quality time with the kids is won at the hands of my husband.  He is an IP attorney, and while he might have stopped (he’s also a musician) there’s no doubt he would have been in a hurry and felt the press of work concerns.

So my point is, maybe those of us who stop–who really see the beauty of the world–should also stop and recognize that sometimes our freedom to enjoy has been purchased at the price of another’s sacrifice of that privelege.

We can’t all be artists, writers, musicians, and so forth.  If mothers choose a flexible work schedule in order to be home with their children, usually someone somewhere is helping to make that happen.

Perhaps the self-same shuttered and fettered souls who streamed by Joshua Bell.