“Spring Break.  I walk through the house.  I look into their bedroom.  The beds are made.  The floor is bare.  Squeals of laughter and heavy footsteps echo in the room.  The compromised choice of décor in the form of red and orange painted walls and green curtains remind me of the futile and unnecessary disagreements.  Stepping cautiously into the room, I walk over to the dresser and glance at the last choice of book the previous Christmas that they were home.  Girls after my own heart.  Walking down the stairs, I trace my fingers over the scraped off paint and the little hidden dents on the wall.  Each imperfection triggering a memory of life.  Brewing myself a cup of tea, I look out into the backyard that is beautiful and yet, somehow devoid of life.  The absence of strewn toys and a DIY magic tree house.  Dare I say I crave for one, just one more day of a trail of toys that infuriate me and yet remind me of moments.”

Fortunately, I have more than 10 years before such a scene may confront me.  Spring Break this year has been nothing short of magical.  Was it devoid of the challenges of life?  Definitely not.  But the magic far outweighed the challenges.

I had an epiphany on this trip down to the Oregon Coast.  It is all about the little but big moments.  Every single one of them.  And perhaps, there lies the formula for happiness in life.  Missing these moments or letting them slip by while a perceived bigger picture is being attained.  The purpose lies in embracing each and every moment, good and bad.  However, the key lies in not embracing it long enough to get attached.  If it is a good moment, embrace it and say “Thank you for the joy, you may now move on.”  If it is a bad moment, say “Thank you for the lesson, you may now move on.”

I read this quote in a book, “the dead yesterday and the unborn tomorrow”.  We give too much of our time to the yesterdays and tomorrows and forget about the todays.  My girls are constant reminders that the todays will be gone before you know it.  I have no idea how this is possible but they turn my hair gray just as fast as they love me unconditionally.

Another reminder this trip was the power of recharging oneself by immersing yourself in Nature.  I read about it all the time.  Going technology-free and enjoying all that nature has to offer but I have to admit that despite living in a place surrounded by mountains, I forget this little trick.  The greenery, the moss-hugged trees and the oxygen dense air recharged me.  For some reason, the trees that were filled with moss made me unreasonable childlike happy.  I couldn’t stop taking pictures while giggling and gushing over my love for them.  I could almost feel the fresh air enter my body and flush out the staleness of life from my system.

This is my little promise to myself henceforth.  To engage in more such trips regularly.  I wish for you to experience this wherever you are.