The Moment

Mo • ment, /mōmənt/ – a very brief period in time. An exact moment in time. An appropriate time for doing something, an opportunity. A particular stage in something’s development or in a course of events. Importance.
Origin (Latin) – Mōmentum; 1. movement, motion. 2. Change, revolution, disturbance. 3.Cause, circumstance, weight, influence.
I was frustrated today. I was really, really, frustrated today. It stemmed from the fact that I was mulling over an experience that I had the night before. I kept trying to retrace the event and kept reaching in my mind back for what had happened before. That is before today crept up and basically stole the memories from the day prior. I wrestled with it so badly because I kept thinking to myself, if I could have that moment back again, oh would I have handled it even differently. This happens to me all the time. I want yesterday’s experience to last forever. That is the pleasant ones of course. Are you guilty of this? Ever been guilty of this? We want a brief period to become eternal. We want opportunities to last forever and they can’t. They are windows that we get to walk thru, sit in, or glimpse out of.
As I wrestled with what I was feeling or wanting to feel again, I was questioned internally with the thought or rather challenged with the idea of how we take these moments in time way too lightly. We just rush right through them and treat them as if they are not special, rare, or random in a sense. We don’t appreciate each breath and space in time that we occupy. As if they owe us another chance. Not! Not even! Moments are defined as such; an exact moment in time. An exact cause, circumstance, movement, opportunity, a stage within the course of events, or even a disturbance or delay or some sort. The harsh reality is whether good or bad, moments in time cannot or shall not be avoided. They should be acknowledged and embraced. I am not saying that bad occurrences should be celebrated but they do to also accompany the good and inevitably can and will work for our good.
Why do we just rush through some of the most enjoyable times in our lives? I am not the subject matter expert on this but I have done it enough so that I think I may have an intelligent response to this question. I personally think that one reason may be because we feel entitled to things. We just expect and anticipate that because the sun shined today, that there shouldn’t be any rain tomorrow. Never…These opportunities that we are given each day are just that…opportunities for that moment right then and there.
Whether it be the opportunity to hug your kid when they run and extend their arms to you, enjoying dinner with a longtime friend, watching your child play sports for their school, being given the task to speak at work for a presentation, acknowledging the birth of your child, getting married, volunteering at your favorite non-profit, reading that acceptance letter from the school that you have been wanting to hear back from, spending time with your spouse, taking a destination trip with friends, playing with your kids or helping them with homework, having a conversation on the phone or in person with the guy or girl that you really are interested in, enjoying a date night, getting to know someone, going to visit a loved one at the hospital or at home who has been ill, taking on an extra assignment to serve at church or your place of worship, or maybe having sex with the person of your dreams.
Each description that I listed truly lasted for a brief period in time. We can’t extend time to recreate the feelings that we want to feel because it was so pleasurable for us and we can’t stunt time to avoid what we don’t like. It comes and goes. There’s an a ebb and flow of life that causes us to not be able to avoid or overindulge in momentary experiences. If we ever find ourselves trying to do either, we now know that we are practicing unhealthy behaviors.
Moments, moments are so precious. They are short, brief, stints in time where we get to be fully engaged in whatever we are doing. We get to allow ourselves the opportunity to feel everything that we are doing. We get to savor the good moments as we walk through them with full consciousness mind, body, and soul. We afford ourselves the opportunity to enjoy feeling, touching, seeing, smelling, that which brings us pleasure or meets our need in the moment. There will be an appreciation and sense of gratitude that comes with or exudes from a person who can appreciate the opportunity. They are blessings.
On the flip side, I cannot downplay or overlook the fact that every moment in life will not be enjoyable. With the good, there also lurks bad moments. Those moments seem to stick to our minds forever and they carry such a heavier weight than moments of pleasure. They happen, they will continue to happen and more importantly, they are unavoidable. It’s just what we do with them that makes the difference. Some of these unsavory moments are induced by things we have or haven’t done when there is sometimes no rhyme or reason for them to appear. Well, that’s what we think at first glance, and yet for every experience in life, it drives purpose home or closer to home. It is in the remembering that moments are fleeting and shall change, we can rest assured that we shall cycle back to a moment of happiness or joy too.
Moments, live in them. I mean live in them. Not only that, create them. We are creative powers that have the capability to create what we want to see. These are not per say tangible always. I’d like to create the winning ticket for a lottery ticket that could afford me millions for life but that’s not happening. I am speaking of things that I can’t necessarily put in my hands but I can construct with the power of my mind and imagination. If I want to feel love, I can create atmospheres where I get to be a part of, feel and experience, and share love. These are simple practices that won’t only just serve us but those around us. We are so self-centered, and just want everyone around us to make every experience, moment, and opportunity close to rock star status daily. Way to go…or not (I am being very sarcastic).
The moment/s that we experience or play a direct part in are so special to us and the people that are involved every day. They are one of a kind, never getting it back again, even if you tried to walk it out the same exact way down to the wire. It was specific to that day, that time, that hour, that minute, that second, and done. You can’t get them back so you surely shall consider making the most of what is happening when it’s going on. And when it’s those times that just don’t feel good, are downright awful, or catastrophic, just lean in. Pay attention and see what’s really going on. Tragedies aren’t moments, mountain top experiences aren’t moments either, moments are the brief time spans that these events take place. We just should train ourselves on how to move within them. Wake up, wake up, pay attention. If it was good to you or if you could provide that pleasure or joy for another in a moment, do it well. And if you have been hurt, side swiped or destroyed in one (a moment), know that they aren’t forever. Just thinking…keep canvassing.