Moments
I believe in moments. I believe that moments are what make up a life. I believe that people have to learn to stop and drink up moments, realize that this moment won't last forever, but pretend it will. I think people need to memorize those moments, so that when they're old and grey or they're so stressed they don't know how they could go back to a normal life, they could look back and remember that moment, second for second.
I occasionally went to a downtown event once a week, where a few hundred people would swing dance for hours. I always saw it as a sort of magical event. Jazz music would be blaring from speakers, and people would be shouting too loud, but I couldn't help smiling the entire time. Each week, my favorite part was when everyone would stop dancing. The song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol would play through the speakers and the hundreds of people who attended would lie down on the ground, staring up at the stars. Every time, I would tell myself to suck in the moment, remember who I was lying next to, the heat of the pavement and the stars sparkling like water droplets. I could only feel peace.
As my family had gone out to the Pacific Northwest this last summer, we took a hiking trail called Hurricane Ridge that's in Olympic National Park. We hiked for hours on the trail, and with the mountains surrounding us and steep cliffs on either side, I felt as if I were hiking the path of Mordor from Lord of the Rings.
When we summited, there was nothing I could do but memorize the moment. I knew that I wouldn't see mountains again for a while. Mountain after mountain, the snow, and clouds made them look like a flurry of land. Wind pushed at my face, the air was clean, and no one spoke. I felt like it was just me on this great earth.
Whenever I'm stressed or feeling like I need to run away from life, I remember that moment. I remember the peace that I felt, the longing to never leave. I know that its not always a good idea to dwell on moments, but moments are what make people human, what makes them who they are. There's a song that mentions not just wanting to survive, but to thrive. That's how I want to live, I want to live every moment like it's vital for me to remember every second.
I occasionally went to a downtown event once a week, where a few hundred people would swing dance for hours. I always saw it as a sort of magical event. Jazz music would be blaring from speakers, and people would be shouting too loud, but I couldn't help smiling the entire time. Each week, my favorite part was when everyone would stop dancing. The song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol would play through the speakers and the hundreds of people who attended would lie down on the ground, staring up at the stars. Every time, I would tell myself to suck in the moment, remember who I was lying next to, the heat of the pavement and the stars sparkling like water droplets. I could only feel peace.
As my family had gone out to the Pacific Northwest this last summer, we took a hiking trail called Hurricane Ridge that's in Olympic National Park. We hiked for hours on the trail, and with the mountains surrounding us and steep cliffs on either side, I felt as if I were hiking the path of Mordor from Lord of the Rings.
When we summited, there was nothing I could do but memorize the moment. I knew that I wouldn't see mountains again for a while. Mountain after mountain, the snow, and clouds made them look like a flurry of land. Wind pushed at my face, the air was clean, and no one spoke. I felt like it was just me on this great earth.
Whenever I'm stressed or feeling like I need to run away from life, I remember that moment. I remember the peace that I felt, the longing to never leave. I know that its not always a good idea to dwell on moments, but moments are what make people human, what makes them who they are. There's a song that mentions not just wanting to survive, but to thrive. That's how I want to live, I want to live every moment like it's vital for me to remember every second.
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