Defining Moments

My friend and I went to a park tonight that overlooked St. Paul. Sitting under a tree on a bench seeing the city was spectacular on this clear night. In the distance we could see a long line of clouds with lightning going off every few seconds. Words cannot describe the beauty and magnitude of what I was seeing with my eyes. Time stood still and we watched all the lightning clouds pass by while pointing out a face we saw in the clouds and talking about taking risks, dancing, and how lucky we are. All I could do was stare at these clouds thinking about everything I've done so far in life and how the future can be whatever I make it.

It's a shame I didn't have my camera...

I realized that there are defining moments in my life; most of which I write about in these blogs. It's moments like watching lightning clouds that inspire and influence me. They define or separate themselves from the normal circle of life. No longer is it wake up, go to work, workout, eat, sleep, and repeat but it is something totally different. This defining moments that puts a pause button on life and lets you breathe different air, smell different smells, and bask in the glory of something new and holy. It is almost like getting high on life, but without the drugs. It is moments like tonight's that define who I become later, moments that you can't forget, moments that take your breath away.

I told my friend that sitting there on the bench was probably one of my top ten moments. I realized then and there how lucky I am. Somehow, someway I ended up sitting on a hard bench at a park I have never been to watching one of the greatest sights I couldn't possibly imagine. Thoughts poured into my head about how I would define this moment, and how I would write about what changed in me. I don't think words can describe what happened, it was an experience.

I imagine it as one of those moments that painters paint, that musicians write songs about, that authors write books about, that leaders draw inspiration from, and that people just watch and not say a word so as not to interrupt the beauty.

"Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away" -Will Smith in Hitch

Yes, I quoted something from the movie Hitch and I feel pretty weird about it...