Dear Lovely,
I recently returned home from Paris where I attended a creative retreat for 10 days. It was my first time experiencing a trip of this kind, and I constantly found myself wondering, almost overwhelmingly so, how can I make this last? Each experience was special and felt so good to participate in, but the reality that I would have to return home to real life continued to loom over me which made it difficult to enjoy at times. I felt sad that these experiences would come to an end.
Knowing that was no way to experience anything wonderful, I went to work understanding how to make the moments count? How do we enjoy it to the fullest? How can we continue to benefit from the experience long after we’re home?
Here are some of my thoughts:
Admit that no experience is meant to last forever.
God is eternal, and I believe our souls are eternal. Other than that, every wonderful experience isn’t necessarily meant to last forever, at least not in this life. I think if we go into situations pragmatically, it’s easier to accept that time does fly. My writing class in Paris at the Tuileries was one of the best moments of my trip. The weather was gorgeous. My instructor was so smart and embracing. Of course I love writing, so the act of putting pen to paper with a writing prompt and fresh inspiration was medicinal to my soul. But that experience was never meant to last more than two hours, and there is no use regretting that it’s over. I can apply this to so many facets of my life, most obviously my boys. They are meant to grow up. Their time as babies and toddlers and in grade school was precious, but it was never meant to last forever and it is helpful to me to face facts.
Recognize ahead of time what you would like the trip/experience to give you, and then keep record of what you learned each day.
For me this is simply journaling my favorite part(s) of the day, or anything that stood out: the setting, the mood, the smell, etc... When the trip or experience is over, read back over your goals and decide what you learned that can be applied to real life. Intentionally adopting new thought patterns into our everyday keeps those wonderful experiences living on in our days.
Be grateful as often as you can.
When a fresh pulse of joy radiated through me during my time in Paris, I would immediately thank God for this blessing. I did this over and over and over. My days in Paris were jam packed with creative endeavors, which was wonderful, but it left very little down time. That, combined with the 7 hour time difference that my body was trying to adjust to, didn’t leave time for Bible study. But I could say ‘thank you.’ I could be grateful. I cold recognize the blessing. Turning my heart posture toward gratitude is such a wonderful way to stay connected to God…which leads me to:
Invite the Lord in to the moment.
Scripture tells us over and over how much God wants a relationship with us, and that means including Him in our days. I think inviting the Holy Spirit into our moments amplifies everything for the better and invites us to love those around us. And just acknowleging and inviting God to be close automatically brings with it the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. How much better is every single moment if those fruits are present and thriving within us? Honestly, even if you aren’t necessarily a faithful person, how much lovelier would your life feel if love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control existed within your days? Maybe take a chance? Maybe say, “Lord, please bring your fruits to me in this moment.” (FYI: I talk more about this concept of inviting the Lord into your day in my blog post called Spiritual Icebreakers.)
Combining the knowledge that moments are fleeting with a grateful heart while also inviting God into my experiences made each part of my time in Paris feel so much more rounded and full. I was able to enjoy all my classes, all the laughter, all the friendships fully and without reserve. And now that I’m home, having journaled while I was there is allowing me to bring to life the beautiful lessons I learned.
Friends, I hope we can all practice presence throughout our days, because for me, being present in this great blessing of a life is really the point of living beautifully.
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