This summer I was able to go to the beach in South Carolina with one of my best friends and her family. It wasn't your typical beach vacation either. You see, I'm used to going down to Myrtle Beach where there's an endless chain of hotels, pools with lazy rivers, smoothie bars and countless people that crowd up the shores until it's almost too hard to walk around.
I was always OK with it though. I mean, I even liked it that way; I liked the fancy hotels and swimming pools, and I liked seeing all of my fellow beach bummers have fun, build sandcastles and do other beach-things like that. Even if it did mean I'd have to step over some sunbathers just to get to the ocean.
However, this vacation was different. We didn't stay on some commercialized beach littered with amenities and buzzing with people. Instead, we stayed on a quiet little island -- Kiawah, to be exact.
This private island paradise not only spoiled me to the point where I may never be able to go back to the beach trips I'm used to; but it also kind of changed my life a little bit. It shifted my perspective not only on how to vacation properly, but also how to live properly.
My week at Kiawah Island made me realize how important it is to just absolutely relish life's greatest moments to the fullest capacity while you have the chance. Don't let your happiest memories breeze by because one day you'll miss them more than anything. Seize them, embrace them and get everything out of them that you can until not an ounce is left.
There was one night that especially showed me this -- it was a Thursday. We had spent all day exploring Charleston, and when we finally got back to the house, I was beyond exhausted. Honestly, I could have gone to bed right then and been out like a light, but I didn't. I didn't because my friend's brother had gone to the dock the day before and saw this gorgeous sunset, and my friend and I were so upset that we missed it. So on this night, exhausted or not, we were determined to go watch the sunset.
Something I should mention: my friend and I are singers. We met in high school choir and ever since, we've loved arranging duets together with my guitar. At this point, we had just started learning a new song and we wanted to practice it. We thought how lovely it would be to practice on the dock, by the sunset. So I packed up my guitar and took it with us. Little did I know, that decision would change the course of the entire night.
When my friend and I arrived, we quickly realized that everyone and their mother were at the dock. Most definitely to see the sunset, I'm sure. My friend and I looked at each other nervously, thinking the same thought, "Should we still practice?" We didn't want to bother anyone.
As if to answer our unspoken question, a lady twisted around in her chair, saw my guitar, and said, "Hey! Play us some tunes, ladies!"
So my friend and I sat down and started singing our song, with the sun slowly slipping beneath the hills in the background. Once we were finished people started clapping. They complimented us. They applauded us. They asked us to sing some more.
Our little practice session quickly turned into a live concert and we were the stars. It was such an unreal feeling that these people were enjoying our songs so much because we are not professionals by any means. One old man even approached us and said, with a bright smile and wine glass in hand, that we had reminded him of a better time when people truly appreciated music. I thought that was pretty darn awesome.
Once my friend and I had run out of songs, a daughter pushed her reluctant father to ask me if he could play my guitar. I said of course he could, and when he picked it up, he totally killed it. I was amazed and thrilled. Everywhere people were smiling and laughing. It's amazing how music can bring people together.
To top it all off, once the music ended we were left with a sky that made us feel like we were in a painting. Just by looking at that sky, I fell in love with it and I fell even more in love with God for making it. I think we take for granted how much of a blessing skies truly are. After all, you never see the same sky twice.
Basically, I said all of that to explain that sometimes in life, we are fortunate enough to encounter little pieces of heaven, the best moments of our lives that we'll remember forever. We never expect them or see them coming. So be sure to recognize when you are in one of those moments and just drink it all in. Don't you dare let them pass by.
