Day 273: Memories
We have all heard the quote from Dr. Seuss that tells us, "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." It rings out with such truth and is a reminder that when we are living life, we often forget we are making memories we will soon look back upon with wonder and nostalgia.
Memories are the substance of our mind, more often than not we have a memory of some sort playing in the background. They can consume us and fill us with so many emotions, regret, longing, desire, happiness. Different memories conjure up different feelings and different emotions can arise at the same time.
As we go through life, we are barely aware that we are making memories. The moments we live through, the experiences we have, the people we associate with, all these precious instances will soon only exist in our mind and we never think about this when we are going through our days. Chances are, what you are doing right now will become a distant memory sooner than later. This moment will fade with time, one day you will look back and realize just how far it has sunk into the past.
Then, just like Dr. Seuss told us, we will realize how much value that moment held. Only when it becomes a memory will we realize how special a second in time was. This could be years after an experience or even hours. The value always comes after, we can recognize a special moment while we live it yet it isn't until time has passed that we will comprehend just how important it will become to us.
Life is cruel in this way. We live and make memories, smile and laugh the night away. However, once it has passed we realize how special that period of time was and now it has gone into the past. No longer can we experience that beautiful moment, it has left us forever and can only reside in our mind from now on.
I thrive off of memories, many being of a bittersweet nature that makes reliving them both beautiful and painful. Yet the nostalgia swells in my mind and I am flooded with a wave send straight from the past. Different moments affect me more than others, but the past has captivated me both with my mind and with my heart.
A question has often circled my mind that I believe exemplifies the theme of the value of a moment. This question is simply this, if you could go back in time would you go back to change something or relive it? For me the answer is simple, I would go back a relive it all. I have come to understand the value of moments that have passed and I would give anything to go back just to feel a couple of things all over again. No matter how many things I wish I could change, the desire to relive will always be bigger.
Our past is beautiful and it holds so many dear memories. They call to us and capture our mind, replaying that which we cannot have. These memories stretch from the earliest memories we have to yesterday morning. Our memories and our past is closer than we realize. Experiences from this week crawl into our mind and we can suddenly realize how amazing they truly were.
Moments mean so much and yet we do not realize it until they become memories. We think back on times from our past and the emotions rise to the surface. The beauty of happiness that came with such a moment followed by the pain of not being able to live through it again. I think that is why memories become so meaningful to us, they are part of us yet we are unable to touch them.
Tangible but forever gone.
A memory is the warmth left after an embrace. It lingers, but is only a ghost of what we have experienced before. The moments that we value are the ones that we were oblivious during, life did not bother us in that second and we were focused on the present. Standing on a beach watching seals dance in the surf, conversations between friends that last until four in the morning, watching fireworks explore over a small pond with music playing in the background, hearts pounds, words spilling out, laughs echoing through the house.
These are the memories that we find value in when they have passed us by. These are the moments that make our eyes water while a smile envelops our lips. These are the moments we will always want to come back to.
Until Next Time,
Lillian Merritt
(Strong in the face of fear)
The wind sweeps out from the land, dancing into the distance across the waves and below the clouds. A chill in the air seeps into one's skin, but when looking back the only thing remembered is the warmth and excitement within.
