THOSE MAGICAL MOMENTS

There are those moments in life that are so nostalgic that when you think back upon them they make you smile and tear up at the same time. In those moments, there is no future and there is no past, and you are contentedly nuzzled in the present. When you remember those moments, you’re filled with magic, and you get a knot in your gut knowing that you can never have them back, but you are fulfilled knowing that you were lucky to have experienced them.

• Waking up on Christmas morning at 9 years old, and running down the stairs with your sisters, delighted at the presents lined up by the fireplace.

• Playing hide and go seek at 10 years old, alone with your thoughts in your hiding spot, your heart pumping at the thought of being discovered, and your mind clear in this moment to yourself.

• The last day of school, when the sun is out, there is a fresh breeze, and you and your friends are scattering out the door with the entire summer ahead of you, knowing that tomorrow you will sleep late, run in the grass, and swim in the lake.

• Your first time traveling around Europe without your parents, awestruck at the world that’s right at your fingertips.

• Waking up in your tent on a camping trip in the spring, with the warm cocoon of your sleeping bag nestled against your body, the sun on the horizon and the smell of campfire lingering in the atmosphere, and a fresh chill in the air that cleanses your soul with one breath.

• Your first road trip—a car packed to the brim, a map in your hands, wind in your hair, songs, laughter, and aimless chatter for miles and miles, hours and hours.

• Moving into your new house. Nothing on the walls, no dust in the corners, fixtures sparkling. A blank canvas that is all yours on which to make your mark.

• Waking up after your first night with your first baby, exhausted, but filled with new life, marveling at the little person you helped create—you just can’t get enough of him—sun streaming into the room, a quiet retreat from the world where you could stay forever, just the three of you.