This morning, I was up early. The sun hadn't quite risen when I embarked on my morning walk. It was cool and I appreciated the welcome breeze that I'd been longing for. As I made my way back, I caught a glimpse of the reddening sky as the clouds reflected the rising sun. It was awesome. By the time that I'd decided that I wanted to take a photo, the sun had risen that fraction further and the colours had faded. The moment was gone.
I cursed the fact that I'd missed the photo and then realised that I'd probably witnessed something that most people never see, or if they do, take for granted. I was "blessed" to have seen it.
That got me thinking.
How many moments have I missed?
We can't get them back. Moments present themselves to be appreciated and then they're gone. In a previous post, I mentioned that as I emerged from darkness, I'd taken time to "watch the clouds" and appreciate that the best things in life are free. We aren't here for a long time and it seems that we spend an inordinate amount of time being distracted by things that we either have no control over or don't really matter.
I am reminded of reading a Stephen King book where he listed his top 100 horror stories. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury was on the list. I borrowed it from the library and was confused by its contents. It was a nostalgic tale about Bradbury's childhood and then it gradually dawned on me. There is only now. We can't go back, nor can we go forward. Life is to be savoured, There is joy to be found in the minutiae and randomness of life. The trick is not to miss it. To live alife and not realise that you are alive would be horrific.
And yet, that is how our society is structured. Work, consume, sleep, work, consume, die.
That is not how it is meant to be.
Wisdom comes slowly. By the time we can start to grasp what this crazy business is about, there's every chance that the sand will have all but run through the hourglass. When I am eighty will I be regretting not seeing the moments that have passed me by? Will it matter?
That moment is gone forever
We can't get it back.
Trips to the Test matches with my grandfather where he regaled me with stories of Hobbs, Sutcliffe and of course, Bradman.
A smile shared across a crowded room.
Endless summers of childhood where we charged through sprinklers on lush green lawns.
Innocence.
That euphoric feeling of being "in love" for the first time.
Catching my first fish.
The smell of rain on a summer's day.
Racing billy carts down a steep hill at breakneck speed with no regard for life or limb.
The enormity of becoming a parent.
A blood moon on a summer's night.
My grandmother telling me not to be such a fool and smiling as she said it.
My child walking beside me and holding y hand. chattering with excitement, energy and life. Life doesn't get any better than this.
Letting go...
Picking strawberries with my Aunty Lucy when I was four.
Stupid jokes and mad pranks.
Riding through the back streets of a town that no longer exists, perched on the handlebars of my Uncle John's motorbike.
The frisson of getting the cuts for the first time at school.
Playing Aussie rules with my mates.
They are just memories now. Did I appreciate those moments for what they were?
What's it all about?
Wiser people than I have endeavoured to answer that question and come up short, I'm not going to try. There is no doubt though, that we have been granted an enormous privilege to be here. It's kind of a waste to spend what little time we have accumulating meaningless possessions when there is so much to see for the first time, even if we've walked past it a thousand times before.
Live in the moment, savour it, drink it in. Don't hold back. It is, after all, yours to appreciate. If you blink it will be gone.
Posted from my blog with Exxp : https://markhodgetts.com/and-the-moment-was-gone/
!BBH
I came here because of ListNerds, and I am so happy I did. i don't think I would have found your story otherwise. I love love love Dandelion Wine, grabbed it at a garage sale as a little kid and just got lost in it. Leave it to a genius like Steven King to see the horror in the wasting away of time. I wish I was better at preserving those moments forever, but even when I try as hard as I can, some of the best slip away.
Bradbury is some writer - one of the very best and King at his best is phenomenal. Thanks for the comment. List Nerds is doing the business isn't it?
Haha, well you can tell me is ListNerds helped out your post after your mailer. I hope so!
I looked over at some of your other posts and noticed lots of reflections on your father, and also your profile photo. It give me joy to imagine you with your kids giving them so many memories of their own father. :)
And thanks for the kind HIVE tip too!
You have probably missed a lot of moment like the sunrise like i do.
When i walk i am listening to music or other thing this mean i am not concentrating fully on my surrounding and therefore not "seeing" all the wonderfull things around me.
I think people nowadays are missing a lot of the wonderfull moments because we are to much connected to our devices instead of our surrroundings.
Saw your post in Listnerds, that is an awesome program. Great article I know what you mean when the moment is gone it is gone forever all the money in the world can not bring it back. I am already a follower :-D
Yes, List Nerds is pretty much the Bee's Knees right now.
Thank you for your support which is reciprocated
That is awesome MArk you are an interesting author to follow 👍
I love your article. A little more love in the world is what is needed.
Thank you for sharing from the heart.
Thank you for taking the time to comment
Good post came from list nerds moments are something you can never get back
That's true. Unfortunately, its taken me almost a lifetime full of moments to realise that
I too found you through ListNerds. It is a powerful and enlightening message. We do need to take time for the simple things before they are gone forever.
I agree, we should enjoy the moment that is happening right now until it is gone forever and then we only have the memory of it. I clicked thorough your ListNerds email to get to your post. Have a great day and take care.
Wow.
You have to live the moments when they occur and live them to the fullest because they won't come back. You made good use of Listnerds.
Because this is such an awesome post, here is a BBH Tip for you.
. Keep up the fantastic work
I like the way you gave us some personal examples of precious moments that have gone forever but can still be savoured in the memory.
Found your post via Listnerds.
!ALIVE
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The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
