When I was in high school, my drama coach gave me some very wise advice. He said that whenever I found myself in a place of magnificence, I should open up all of my senses and take it in. Experience it with every part of me. Nothing lasts forever. Be awake when it is there.
This might be a beautiful sunset or sunrise. It could be standing on a stage in Havana, Cuba and dancing with strangers to live music that fills your soul. It could be accepting your Bachelor’s degree at the age of 36, after attending night school for six years. Or maybe it is looking into the eyes of your first born child, or your second or your third. How about holding your grandchild for the first time? You get the idea. Wonderful, magical moments in time that you want to hold onto forever but know that you can’t. Take it all in.
See with your eyes, but also see with your heart. Be aware of the sounds around you but don’t just hear them, listen to them. Smell the air, flowers, rain, the darkness. Touch with purpose, and remember what it felt like. If taste is involved, savor all of it, the way it feels on your tongue, the bitterness or sweetness of it.
I am thinking about this now because my young son, his wife and baby were just here for two days with us. They haven’t left to go back to Oregon yet but they are now with her parents, an hour away. I will see them tomorrow, Christmas day, at my sister’s house, but only for a few hours. They leave on Saturday for the long drive home. The time went by much too fast. And now I am left with a feeling of emptiness as I look in the bedroom that is now clear of their suitcases and the baby’s “pack and play” bed. No baby bottles on the sink to be washed. No toys on the floor.
Whenever either one of my children leaves me physically, I feel a tear in my heart. Of course it heals. Time is a wonderful healer, but it is always painful when they go away. I now feel that way about the beautiful women they married. And then there are my grandchildren. Two of them are babies – need I say more?
Next time you find yourself in a magnificent setting, or just in a wonderful place of love, open up all of your senses and take it in, with every breath. Imprint it on your heart. And when it’s gone, go back to your heart and feel it again.
May your life be filled with magnificent moments. Fill the next year with them. I plan to.
Merry Christmas! :))