When I think about the good times in my life, I often find myself wishing I would have enjoyed those moments a little more. The sad thing about notorious moments is that they can happen so fast, and one can be so unaware that this moment will be an unforgettable one.
Some people can realize when a good moment is happening right in front of their eyes--they're the lucky ones. I like to think of myself as a moment liver; one who tries her best to take in every flash of her life and keep it has a memory in her mind (even if at times I grab my phone to take a snap). The drawback of these moments is the idea of reminiscing.
Remember that time you went to your first concert with your friends and no parents went with you? You felt like an adult even if you were only in middle school. Remember your first dog you got when you were nine, to whom you got to name? Remember when you wished you could be in college already because you were sick of high school? And remember when you hated sleepovers because you loved being home in your own bed and liked to go to sleep before 9?
At the time, those memories weren't special, you may have even hated them. But so much can change after those memories pass, and that is what sucks the most. Yesterday could be the beginning of your senior year of high school, and before you know it, it's the second semester of your freshman year in college. The memories flash so fast you forget to enjoy.
That concert you went to with your friends? You've now been to many alone and you think they are boring. That first dog you got when you were nine? It now has terminal cancer with no timeline known. That idea of being in college and FINALLY being an adult? The adult life sucks and big changes aren't your thing. Those sleepovers you hated because you were up past 10 and not at home? You now live in a dorm away from home every day and you don't get to sleep till 2-3 a.m due to the homework clouded in your mind.
It's not that I miss those moments, it's that I wish I would have enjoyed them a little more before they vanished. What I would give to just rewind and re-live, to reverse what has been done and appreciate the good moments while they're here. As I got older, I realized the idea of putting your phone away and enjoying where you are in life at that moment. Take a mental image because those last more than a silly picture on your phone. I wish I recognized this earlier in life. I would give anything to go back to those memories and just be there one more time.
"The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don't celebrate those, they can pass you by." -Alek Wek
