Living in the Moment

My toes curled in the warm sand of a hot January summer day. The beach was crowded, the surfers plentiful and the accents so incredibly hot.

I had dreamed all my life of sitting on beach like this.

My eyes openly wondered the surrounding scenes, however my brain could not seem to comprehend that this was in fact reality. It seemed as if I was watching an incredibly detailed webcam and soon I would be brought back to Michigan by the sound of a car door or the smell of my mother’s cooking.

But then I listened…I could hear no car and smell no cooking. I heard the same waves as the people from the webcam and smelled only a hint of salt in the air from the ocean…that’s when it hit me.

It was real.

If I were truly at home I’d be sleeping peacefully in the early hours of a winter morning, completely unaware of the surfers on the swell and the seagulls flying about in the afternoon sky. I was here, sitting at one of the most famous beaches in all of Australia and away from home for the first time.

The hardest part about living in the moment is realizing you are in a moment.

I snapped myself out of my enchanted daze and jumped to my feet. Before I knew it my legs were in the Pacific Ocean for the first time in my life. I paused and told myself to remember this moment, since it will never be guaranteed that I return. And even if I did return, the scene would never be duplicated.

Leaving the beach, I then let the city take me over. I danced with a street performer, jammed with didgeridoos, shouted “WHERE’S NEMO?!”  multiple times and finished the day by eating ice cream on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

Being a deep thinker, when I’m traveling and experiencing one of the sacred moments I tell myself to enjoy the hell out of it. Many people have the idea of ‘living in the moment’ wrong, it’s not an excuse for stupid decisions. It’s a feeling when you come to the realization that what is occurring is once in a lifetime. So you take that moment, whether it be a second or a day, and you allow yourself to open up to the experience 100%.

Don’t let yourself sit on the side when you’d rather be dancing, don’t let the camera be put away if you want to keep snapping. Most importantly don’t let the realization of never returning dampen your experiences, rather then encourage them. Everyone is aware that nothing is set in stone, so the words “we’ll do that next time” are never guaranteed.

Moments can come at the strangest points. Picture yourself lying on the floor of a giant room in an international terminal on a six hour layover. You’ve already been delayed, you’re going to spend the next 15 hours on a cramped plane and that airport food you just ate is not settling well. Minutes later, a girl about your age lies beside you and sprawls out in a pathetic manner similar to yours. You begin a conversation; a third person joins and pretty soon the three of you are singing ‘I am the Champion’ out loud to a giant empty room.

Although it is amazing to realize when you are in a moment, sometimes the best realization is after it already occurred. When everything is running at a million miles an hour and you are too busy having the time of your life, you will get to your bed that night and find yourself staring at the ceiling or gazing out a window. Reflecting on recent events, you will avoid sleep because it means the day must end and the present will soon become a fading memory. And that’s when it hits you; the whole day as the world turned you forgot it was turning.

Memories and moments are stories to be told and listened to for the rest of one’s life. It’s what leads you to laugh with your friends and say “I can’t believe we did that!” and as you look back at those memories you remember the instant it became special. It was no longer just a vacation,trip, holiday, adventure; it was something that had a significant impact on the rest of your life. You weren’t just standing on top of New York City with your four best friends, you were experiencing the world for the first time after graduation.

As we travel and learn, our mind slowly starts to comprehend what it means to live. No two people have the same means of living, and no person will share the same moments as you. The world and you are infinite, and first experiences make lasting impressions called moments, which turn to memories that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Disclaimer:

Unexpected surprises along with blissful internal and external cheering may be side effects to living in the moment. Do not live in the moment if you are boring, sleep walking or blacking out. Consult your local travel agent on how you can begin your moment and take steps to a happier lifestyle.

😉

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook:  ShaleeWanders