The beauty of the moment is never fleeting, for the moment is always here.
Today, I cried tears of joy on four separate occasions. Four moments of objective profundity, you might think, but no, these were tears of joy prompted by some of the simplest moments I can think of:
1) While driving home from a business meeting, the warm wind ran through my hair as I listened to some of my favourite music at the perfect volume. The moment made me shed tears of joy.
2) While resting between problems at the rock climbing gym, I appreciated the fact that I’m healthy and fortunate enough to do just that: rest between climbs. Happy tears swelled in my eyes.
3) While taking the first bite of my sweet potato mashed in coconut oil and cinnamon, I cried happily at the realization that I get to experience such intense and wonderful flavours.
4) While looking at the psychedelic light hung above the table in my backyard, the colours and plants’ beauty made me cry joyously.
I didn’t do anything this past weekend to throw my serotonin or dopamine levels out of whack; but today, I simply appreciated the intensity of the moment. There is extreme beauty in every instance—even the ugly ones. And while I think it’s counterproductive to never consider the past or future, the more time you can spend in the moment, the more awe-inspired you’ll be.
Too often, I think we suppress our emotions. It’s weird to cry after taking a bite of sweet potato (I mean, I’m sure a lot of people will have trouble just taking that sentence seriously). But, as weird as it might be, permitting myself to cry made it the greatest bite of sweet potato I’ve ever had.
Emotions are frequently given a bad rap: we’re supposed to be in control of them; to be governed by your emotions is considered weak. And, perhaps it is weak--if you let your emotions govern you completely. But, to embrace your emotions is something altogether different. Emotions exist for a reason. Emotions are a guiding force. They tell you things about yourself that you’re unable to articulate in words. They can tell you things about yourself that you’re unaware of, or about the things you consciously deny to be true. Suppressed emotions compounded by the conscious denial of the truth is a recipe for anything but happiness and actualization. So, I recommend exploring your emotions and riding them out from time to time—whether elation, fear, love, anxiety, or gratitude—and revel in their glory to see what answers come to you. Perhaps no answers will come at all, and perhaps you’ll be filled with more questions, like, why am I on a rock floating through the sky that spins around a gigantic ball of fire at blinding speed? But even in that existential contemplation is an experience well worth having. The wonder is what it’s all about, and that’s a beautiful thing.