tell me about it, tuesday.

so, listen up everyone. it's time for you to stop for just a second and take one maybe two or three minutes out of your day and read this. someone very close to me writes... and they wrote this. it's nothing less than perfection and i love it. i hope you do too, enjoy!

The Moment Properly Lived In

Someone once told me to live in the moment. When I was told this I was still a young boy with little heed to such caution. My thought process at the time was merely, “this man is older than me, and he has no clue what he is talking about.” I was careless and over confident.  As I reflect on these tokens of wisdom I wish that I had taken these soft-spoken, wise words to heart. I reflect on the moments that passed me by, the moments I wish I had forever engraved in my mind, and the moments that I would never get to experience again. Then I remember the moments that I had stumbled over and paused to “live in the moment.” These moments include: late night talks with gramps, state championships won, state championships lost, and incredible endless summer nights with great friends. 

This wise man was right. The greatest thing a person could do is live in the moment. In the moment ugly and impossible things become elegant and possible. The slap of calloused knuckles into a worn leather glove become a symphony to a game played under the pressure of 138 bright lights flooding grass and clay, when the moment is lived in. The first breath of a small child will leave any human being breathless in the cold recycled air of a delivery room, and the smell of baby powder as you are swaddling an infant in a world of comfort becomes a miracle. When the moment is properly lived in. 

I’m not sure why the moment is so important. It is just time; precious time, in the short life of a person that in some faiths may be considered only a wrinkle in eternity. So why should we live in the moment? We should live in the moment because in that instance our lives transform from a black and white sketch in a leather bound book to the world famous Mona Lisa. Everyday objects create nostalgia with their colors and smells. The moment is deserving of more attention than it receives. Without the moment, life would fly by, forever dull and suffering from a loss in the memories of friends, family, and food. So next time that you are walking down the street I challenge you; “live in the moment.” Walk down that street and notice all of the things from the man begging for money and trying to reclaim his once successful life to the businessman who is too busy avoiding the moment and losing his. Live in the moment for this man and the millions upon millions of others who are losing their lives without the blessings of the moment. 

As I reflect on moments I’ve missed I can think of the touch of perfect, soft lips to mine and the sight of a tired child walking in to the family room on a Saturday morning to fall face first onto the couch and continue their innocent slumber. These moments create memories and these memories strung together create stories and stories lead to lives. Lives touched and lives hurt. The Eagles once wrote a song, “Life in the Fast Lane” claiming that living life at high speeds was the way to go. Although they had an incredible career and developed many chart topping hits, I believe they are mistaken. Life in the fast lane will cause you pain and sorrow. Take the time in life to notice the small things for they are what make the big things special.