I asked a friend of mine if he could remember the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to him and he couldn’t even look back on any experiences that were embarrassing, he said that it was difficult for him to recall memories from his past because he just “lives in the moment.” I didn’t know how to reply. Frankly, I felt a little bad for him, because I believed that I was lucky to be able to remember the memories from my past; the good and bad ones, because they’re just chapters of my book.
Although the idea of living in the moment has great wisdom in it, it has given an increasing amount of people the wrong meaning, especially college students.
For some reason, everybody seems to think that college is the time to “get everything out of your system” before starting your career and settling down (aka hooking up, partying as much as you can, drinking, doing drugs). Let me just say that there is no such thing as getting any of that out of your system, nobody needs to lose themselves in a way that can potentially be damaging. I would be a hypocrite saying all of this if I didn’t admit that I went through the “partying” stage my first semester of college, but it was wasted time.
Entertainment and media teaches us that we need those college years to be wild, to let ourselves loose, but there are other ways to do this without blacking out every weekend and letting people continuously hurt you.
Why would you want to risk alcohol poisoning? Or getting a DUI? Why would you want to get married and walk down the aisle or be on the other side of the aisle knowing you had all those meaningless partners? Wouldn’t you want your spouse to be the only person you’ve ever touched? You will.
Clayton, the youth pastor for Raider Church, is always telling us stories about his past. One story that I remember really well is the one of his wedding day. He said, “I just remember her walking down the aisle and I couldn’t help but think, I wish I never touched another girl.” This hit me so hard I cried, and I glanced around the room to see the faces of others and I could tell it affected everyone else too. He wasn't thinking about the other girls from his past, he was just thinking about that one woman walking down the aisle that he loved so much. He loved her so much that he wished it had just been her the entire time; because he honored her, he adored her.
It saddens me how regularly I overhear conversations from my peers about how they almost never remember their nights when they go out and how proud they are of that. Why wouldn’t you want to remember all the “fun” you had? I can’t think of any reason why you would want to graduate from college and not be able to recall most of your nights out.
Live, remember; go to a concert or a club sober, go on an adventure with your friends, go on a spontaneous road trip, go to the movies, have deep talks about life because those will leave your mind wondering for days. I promise you it is 100% possible to have the best night of your life without taking narcotics.
My dear friend that I mentioned in the beginning doesn't have a hard time recalling memories because he always goes out, but rather because he lets life move too quickly. He doesn’t stop to think about the experience or the encounter he just had, he just lets it go without even grasping it.
People are always telling me that I need to let go of my past; but the truth is, I am a stronger person for recognizing and being vulnerable to all the mistakes I’ve made. I am more in touch with myself for being able to make connections to my old-self, and for being able to accept the good and the bad experiences.
Living in the moment merely means “going with the flow” or “thinking of the now.” Living in the moment is about allowing yourself to feel a connection with the big moments and experiences; it’s about savoring them, it’s about making memories and remembering the beautiful parts of your story.
So yes, live in the moment, but do it smartly. Think of your career, think of your future spouse, think of your future children, and think about the footprints you will leave when you leave this life.
