Watch the world go by

 　　I was sitting outside my new home yesterday (we just moved last week, and we love the new place), watching the world go by.

　　There were people in cars, in a hurry to get to their next appointment. There were birds flying by, insects just as busy as the people in cars, plants and weeds thriving in the humid Guam climate.

　　Inside the house, my children were also busy, as ever, making a mess of the house (which my wife and I would soon clean up), getting into things, their natural curiosity overpowering our previous pleas¹ for them not to play with lotion² or take things apart.

　　The sky was slightly overcast³ and there was a cool breeze, quite strong and pleasant actually.

　　It’s not often that most of us just sit quietly, and allow the world to pass us by.

　　Why not?

　　What is so important that it can't wait until later? What email must be answered right this moment? Do we really need to read all those articles online, all those messages from others, all those newspapers and magazines? Do we need to have the television and radio and Internet on all the time?

　　Is life passing us by as we keep our minds super-busy? Are we missing out on the beautiful world around us as we constantly think about the future — what we need to do, our anxieties about what might happen — and the past — what we did wrong, what someone else did to us, what we said, what should have happened?

　　When was the last time you just sat, and observed? Why not do it today?

1 pleas   

借口( plea的名词复数 )； （被告或被告律师的）抗辩； （法庭中的）理由； 请愿

参考例句：

• He sent her away without even listening to her pleas. 他甚至不肯听她的哀诉就把她遣走了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Shousheng came out and added his pleas to Mr. Lin's. 寿生也来了，帮着林先生说。 来自汉英文学 - 林家铺子

2 lotion   

n.洗剂

参考例句：

• The lotion should be applied sparingly to the skin.这种洗液应均匀地涂在皮肤上。
• She lubricates her hands with a lotion.她用一种洗剂来滑润她的手。

3 overcast   

adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天

参考例句：

• The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
• The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。