This Magic Moment

A recent chat with a friend helped oil the squeaky wheel that doesn't cease to stop turning in my head.

We were talking about living life in moments... rather than by the events and milestones that we anticipate. By this, I'm referring to the obvious.... births, birthdays, graduations, firsts (kiss, dance, job, child, etc..), and so forth.

Instead, we discussed the joy and beauty that stems from the simple moments that remain understated. They can slide into our lives spontaneously -- a walk through a park or a drive through the countryside. Or perhaps the moment can be captured even when we're doing nothing at all -- the peace that comes from sitting on your front porch with a book, or while having a chat with someone you really enjoy.

I remember thinking that if we lived our lives from one happy moment to the next (not thinking in terms of grandiose things... those are just the anchors to this cake that we call "life"), then everyone would perhaps be more content.

I mean, don't get me wrong... I know that all moments aren't happy... there's deaths, illnesses, accidents, poverty, world hunger and a thousand and one people just waiting to see you fall down and crush your own dreams...

... but really though... we learn from those experiences and we take away from them. They drive us and (should) make us into better human beings.

So, in honour of that conversation, I took some measures.

Last week I went through my closet and cleaned it out (throwing away clothes isn't something i do easily). I emptied out about a third of it. It felt symbolic. In my mind I figured that if I couldn't get rid of things I was holding on to because they meant something at a certain point and time, then there was no way I'd be able to move on and live from one moment to the next.

Now my goal is to try and live by moments.

Whether a smile creeps up to my mouth when I sit outside and smell the last of the summer rains... or whether my mind captures a moment where I'm sitting down for dinner (for probably the 100th time) with the same friends I've had for years...

I want to bask in those moments and enjoy them for what they are: the points in my life that will eventually link together and define who I am. And as I look back, I probably won't remember with clarity about how mundane the activity or moment may have been... but I will remember how I felt while I lived it. That will be the best and most important part.

xo
SC