I know we are all often bombarded with quotes that are inspiring and motivating, and it is rare when one of them leaves a lasting impression. There is one quote that I read quite a while ago, but it was one of the few that has stuck with me. The quote that I am referring to goes, “There are a few things in life so beautiful they hurt: swimming in the ocean while it rains, reading alone in empty libraries, the sea of stars that appear when you’re miles away from the neon lights of the city, bars after 2 a.m., walking in the wilderness, all the phases of the moon, the things we do not know about the universe, and you.” Whenever I think about this quote, I am always reminded of the things that I find most beautiful and fulfilling in life. Things like cruising with your friends while listening to your favorite music, summer mornings when the rest of the world is still sound asleep, or listening to a song you used to love but have long since forgotten. We all have them, the memories and experiences that truly are so beautiful they hurt.

With vivid memories of the moments we love dearly, it is easy to become satisfied with only reminiscing on the things we love. When we are in the routine of our daily lives, time is not always made to indulge in the experiences that have once made us happy. Instead of waking up early to watch the sunrise, we settle for remembering the summer when we watched it every day. When we think about the joy we once got from riding our bike to work every day, we have now compromised with driving to get there quickly. The routine of our lives has allowed for the things we love to be sacrificed rather than pursued.

Part of the reason the things we love are so wonderful is that we don’t have the opportunity to do them all the time. Yet that doesn’t mean these things need to be cut out entirely from our lives, only to be revisited in our memories. Lack of opportunity does not mean that we should stop aspiring to do the things we love, even if they are small things.

I suppose the point I am trying to get at is that life is full of things that we don’t want to do, and we need to make an attempt to do the things that we love. So even though we might not be able to swim in the ocean every day in the rain, we need to make time to for it. Make some time every now to and then drive out of the city to stargaze. Take a weekend to explore the wilderness. Go on a spontaneous drive with your friends with your favorite playlist, even though you might have a million other things to do.

We are living in a time where it is incredibly easy to become consumed by the events of our normal lives. Consumed by school, work, and an attempt to maintain balance. But balance won’t work if there is nothing that is feeding your soul, making you content and at peace. I know we all love to sit back and watch Netflix when we have a moment of free time, but why not take that time to do something that we will remember? We need to fill ourselves with memories so that they are there to encourage us to keep making more. We need to roller skate with friends, play in rivers and lakes, watch sunrises, and let the good times fill us up. Some things in life are so beautiful that they hurt, and we need to continue chasing those things.