What's the highlight of your life?

Is there a special time in your life that was so wonderful and meaningful that deep down in your core you just wish you could go back to it? I bet there is.

Whether you admit it or not, we all have one. I like to call this “Oz” (and I’m not referring to that brutal prisoner show on HBO from 1997-2003). I’m referring to that one time in your life where everything felt like it was in HD, or otherwise known now as 4k, which is technically the new ultra high definition in today’s technology. It’s that special time that sometimes we yearn to go back to, that moment in time when you felt genuinely happy and truly at peace, that instance where everything felt great and you felt completely alive.

Maybe that special Oz time was when you were in college or high school and your responsibilities were less and life seemed simpler. Perhaps that time was when your children were young and every day was an exciting adventure with your growing family. It could be when you were with a former partner, former job, high school sweetheart, or even on a special vacation with your current spouse. Quite possibly, for many, that time could be in the here and now.

Either way, Oz is really hard to contend with because it always wins the comparison war in the here and now – always. And it does so hands down, no matter what.

This is because Oz is a highlighted moment in our lives. Because time is always ticking away, we just don’t realize that it’s passing so quickly, and we certainly don’t know what God has in store for us next, so it’s much easier to look back on those glamorized moments than it is to predict when just as special ones will return.

Remember that iconic scene in “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy emerges from sepia-toned Kansas to technicolored Munchkin land? We almost know immediately that her incredible ultra-highlighted life moment has just begun.

Here’s my theory on this: There are highlighted moments in our lives that come along and tend to stand out from the rest. These are the instances in time that actually make your heart skip a beat, your adrenaline soar, and your energy level climb to the roof. Sometimes we know we’re in those moments and other times we have no idea until they have passed.

Recently, I was talking with a mom who happens to be the head of a major company. She was telling me how she wished she had spent more time with her kids while they were growing up instead of working all the time. She was going on and on about how wonderful it was when her family was under one roof and how those were the best times of her life and regretted not appreciating it while she had it. That passage of time turned out to be her Oz, and I could see how badly she wished she could have it back, even for just a day.

One thing’s for sure…that special Oz moment in time actually gets more glamorized as time goes on. Sometimes it really is as good as we remember, but quite possibly it might not be. This is because good memories actually get better with time and bad memories often get worse. Time is actually a great distorter of total accuracy.

I believe that every day is a gift, every experience memorable, and only by living in the present can you truly enjoy your life. Yes, there are specific memories that are held dear, and upon reflection, they fill us with the warmth of a golden sunrise. But we can’t live in the past because it is over, and we can’t live in the future because it’s not here yet. So we are left with the current moment with which we can do whatever we wish.

If your happy place was raising your children but they are now grown, then enjoy spending special moments with your grandkids. If you miss the romantic days of courtship with your partner, light some candles, turn off the TV and create a new special memory in the here and now.

Life is a continuum, rolling and peaking throughout the course of the adventure. Certainly there is a highlight reel in each of our lives, but we can continue to add frame after frame of new footage if we focus on enjoying the moments that we are given today.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift; that’s why we call it present.

Live, love, laugh and learn today.

　

Until next time,

Love,

Karin

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The Buddha Team