A Fully Present Participant in Life

Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?

--Emily Webb, Our Town

Nothing delights an English teacher more than to see her students enthralled by the material being studied. This week, my international students have been studying Our Town, which takes place in an American small town at the turn of the century. Each day, my students’ laughter and display of intrigue at the material amazes me, and I am encouraged to see them respond and engage with the drama in this way.

As we have begun to deconstruct the themes within the play and discuss the dynamics of relationships, I look forward to hearing what their generation has to say about being a fully present participant in life. Their generation is one hooked on texting, chatting, Tweeting, and uploading to Facebook, yet even in their “connectedness”, how many would say they are realizing life while they live and engage in it?

Too often, I’ve found myself saying to my contemporaries, “I wish I would have taken more opportunities to really sit down with you—to fully know who you are.” At the end of Our Town, Emily admonishes her mother for the lack of depth and meaning in their interactions; if only we truly knew how precious time is, and more importantly how precious people are. May we live realize life while we live it, and may we live the abundant and full life promised to us.