The winter wind whipped my auburn tresses and blushed my cheeks to the tip of my nose. The sun was starting to set along the sea beyond the cliffs. Waves crashed up against the darkened rocks yards below me. The endless beauty froze me in a moment of perfect time. I held my breath in awe, feeling lucky to witness such beauty that has been scenery for several films, like "The Princess Bride."

My mind traveled to a time when the cliffs didn’t have a stone wall to stop a fall towards a watery grave. Eeriness came over me as I imagined someone standing there hundreds of years ago.

Rushing wind drowned out everyone’s voices and my own mind was silenced. The endless beauty grabbed me and held on tight. Gazing out on the horizon made me realize that not many would experience the breathtaking stillness of the Cliffs of Moher. Gratefulness suddenly rushed upon my soul in a sudden moment of time pulling me back into reality.

Here I was at 26, road tripping across Ireland with my best friend. Thoughts of how lucky we were flooded my mind. Our families had discouraged us, two women, from traveling alone. A lot of people would have listened to their families and held off on the trip, maybe for the rest of their lives.

There were neither selfies being taken nor videos of the breathtaking sunset. The experience would have been different if I had been rushing to capture everything. My mind would have been focused on the perfect selfie instead of traveling back in time. There would be no realization of gratitude for being in a place that some could only dream about; an unemotional lens would have blocked feelings of awe. Sometimes, slowing down captures more than a “snap and upload” ever could.