It's the Moments That Take Your Breath Away

A friend of mine asked me a great question a few months ago while we were talking about my Revive55 Project. Could we spend too much time preserving instead of enjoying?

I think the shell quote in my recent post sums it up perfectly for me. 

"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few. " Anne Morrow Lindbergh

It's not every moment that matters...and as I write that, I am reminded of another quote that another friend has on display:

"Remember life is not the amount of breaths you take. It’s the moments that take your breath away." from the film Hitch starring Will Smith

Could we spend too much time preserving and documenting instead of enjoying new moments? I think that this is part of the Memories Bliss Point from my previous post. Do we enjoy preserving and documenting?  We re-experience those moments when we look at, preserve, tag, organize, or scrapbook our photos. In this way, we are still enjoying past memories in the present. We can even enjoy new moments by sharing and telling our stories with others.

If we enjoy making photo albums, it's time well-spent, but if it's a chore, perhaps it's an activity not worth doing. There may be a better way for you to preserve your memories. We can create new memories by returning to places we've been or re-experiencing moments we have loved in the past.

My friend has a good point. If we spend too much time in the past, we miss present moments. We also don't plan future experiences that may be even better than past ones. 

It's a balancing act between the past, the present and the future. This is my take-away from my Revive55 Project. I don't want to spend all my time preserving all my memories. They are more precious if they are few. Recognizing our happiest past memories helps us to see the memories that we will enjoy in the future.

Chase your dreams when you will enjoy the moments worth capturing and preserving.