The Beauty of It All

I was driving to work today, windows rolled down, a random song playing from my ipod, it was beautiful outside and I just felt overwhelmingly happy.

 

It's so easy to get caught up in the monotonous daily tasks of life. Some days I will be on that same drive and it feels like I blinked and made it to work. I can't even remember what I thought about on the way there.

 

Not today, today I took the time to breathe in that twenty minutes of life. To look at the view of the city skyline from the fly over. To remember that each day is important, each day is a chance to make a memory.

 

I sometimes feel like all the time spent working, exercising, hours and hours of my life devoted to this company or that, all of this while running on no sleep makes my life move in fast forward. Makes it feel like all my efforts aren't getting me anywhere, like tires spinning in mud.

 

Then I find that these little moments are things I will look back on and cherish. The moments where I push myself harder than I ever have before, when I do a double take as I pass a mirror because I don't recognize my slimmer frame anymore. The moments where I realize I am actually happy on my own, happy not having to take care of others anymore, or worry about any unneeded drama.

 

I've found that the more you search for these moments, the beauty of it all becomes more clear. I was running a trail at Brookhaven College the other day, one that I have run many times before. The path runs through a slightly wooded area that surrounds the campus and it's quite peaceful. 

 

I was a little over a mile in to my run when I stopped to catch my breath and saw something I'd never noticed before. A beautiful wide willow tree in the middle of this little forest. It looked so old, yet so strong, it stood out from the little trees nearby. I felt the urge to wander toward this magical looking willow and as I let my feet slowly draw me closer I noticed an old placard resting at it's foot.

 

"In memory of Phillip Jacobs for 25 years of service"

 

For some reason I felt my throat tighten up and I couldn't stop a few tears from running down my face. It was so beautiful. This life is so beautiful. That man is gone, and maybe one day no one will remember who he was, but that little bronze plate will tell of his 25 years devoted to that school and in some way his memory will live on forever, for anyone who stops to take a look at that beautiful old willow tree. I walked away thankful for that moment under the tree, thankful for a memory made with myself. I also was left with an overwhelming urge to leave my mark somewhere in this world, even if it's hidden along some little path in a sea of trees.

 

Search for those moments, my friends, breathe them in. This is your life. Don't forget to live it.

 

"What you do today is important, you are exchanging a whole day of your life to do it." 

-Unknown