"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the number of moments that take our breath away."
This beautiful saying instantly held me captive at a Target store, The words were written below a picture of dandelions, encased in a black frame. I found it among wall decors at the store while looking for a gift to exchange at a White Elephant holiday party. I fell in love with it and wished that whoever gets it would appreciate the thought-provoking quote too.
Come to think of it, unless we live a lifestyle of solid adventure, we can probably count with our fingers the rare events in our lifetime that are totally breathtaking. Mine was a scary roller-coaster ride and, call me a pathetic and miserable wimp, it happened only once.
Joking aside, watching the sun come down across the bay is, no doubt in my mind, the most awesome real time occurrence I've ever experienced. The view of sunrise has its charm, but seeing the sunset can be as astonishingly beautiful.
Then there was that time I saw a double rainbow. It was the first ever for me and my fascination kept me awestruck, my mind wondering why it seemed to be following me home!
photo credit: culturemap.com
How many moments have we experienced in our life that absolutely captivated us? More often than not, people are too preoccupied with their thoughts or the day's tasks or too rushed to go somewhere that they wouldn't have noticed a memorable moment if it stared them in the face. People are more prone to pause and stare at a traffic accident than to linger and ponder on an uplifting sight.
Gone are the days when people took the time to slow down to smell the coffee or appreciate a lovely view. Our modern world has got everyone hooked on some exciting electronic gadget to keep them perpetually occupied. Even children of today prefer playing with inventions of modern technology.
I feel blessed that I grew up in a slower paced era... a time when playing in the yard with other kids was a most cherished childhood pastime. I love to call us the Happy Times Generation. We may not have had all the sophisticated toys that today's children have, but our children's play was creative and fun. I remember having developed a fond attachment to a huge flat pebble when my grade school classmates and I played a game whose name now escapes memory. We drew a houselike figure on the dirt with boxes where we were supposed to jump over on one leg. Today's children would probably find it terribly boring, but back in those days it brought us ecstacy.
Although we played boring games, the wonderful thing that happened was that my fellow Baby Boomers and I were raised to think on our feet, be appreciative of the simple things, and be caring citizens of the world.
If I were to live my childhood over again, I wouldn't change a thing in my growing up years. To be raised in the same old world milieu before technology robbed people of their childhood was, for me, a precious birthright.
I just won't have it any other way.
