Making moments last

My movements feels more graceful than ever before. Looking over my shoulder I see how you go into the same rotation that I'm in the middle of. I’m leading, and you are clearly following my every move. This is my first time, feeling a connection like this. Curiously, you’re coming closer. You gaze at me with playful eyes. Suddenly you exhale and it makes bubbles ascend right in front of my mask. I give a laugh, and involuntary gulp water. I must ascend with the bubbles.

Snorting I break the surface. The salty water do not immediately leave my lungs. When I dive down again, with my snorkel, the sea lion is nowhere in sight. The spell was broken. A few bubbles surprised me and made me painfully aware of my lack of gills.

To avoid similar scenarios in the future, I took a diving certificate. I learned that these amazing moments never last forever (even oxygen cylinders will unfortunately run out). I learned that we must give ourselves the ability to stop chasing moments that passed and start cherish the ones we lived through.

“Faster! Forward!” will make you quick, but the surroundings will leave you without making a real impact. While chasing something bigger and better, you’re passing and discarding along the way. Have you heard that it's the journey that makes the effort worth? Well, it's true what they say.

When you travel, make sure to be attentive. Meet a stranger's glance, respond to a smile, dive into a new world and listen to the birds warble in the spring. Taste. Smell. Experience. Say yes to a dance, change a plan, get lost. Be surprised, amazed and carried away.

A sea lion and its dance gave me the will to be a diver. The body's weightlessness and slow motions underwater then taught me to breathe deep, calm and focused. That allowed moments to come ­ and stay longer. I learned not to grieve when they passed, but to really feel them while they were.

Now I write stories. Whisper tales into the wind. I must share my moments to inspire. I wish for everyone to find, and follow, their sea lion.

So, slow down. Step outside and look around. Let the moments mesmerize you!