Open to the Experience

There are lots of strange moments in life, when you remember a moment that made you pause and think that you have discovered something really meaningful about yourself. I had one of those moments in the middle of a pedicure.

My closest friend and I were at a local spa enjoying one of life’s finest pleasures – a pedicure while chatting with a friend – and the pedicurist started telling us a story about her latest experience. I’ll paraphrase……..She had traveled with a friend (a boy and potential boyfriend) to a wonderful location and was enjoying a fantastic vacation…..however as the vacation came to a close, it was clear that there were feelings between them but she was too afraid to get involved…..She lamented at the end that while he seemed so perfect, she was not sure he was worth the risk, worth the chance of getting hurt, worth the chance that it might not last.

Much to my surprise, I blurted out “What???? Are you kidding me???? What is more important than trying?? When you are my age, would you like to look back and say Wow, I have lived a safe and predictable life, never got hurt. OR do you want to be able to say…wow I lived, I tried it all, sure I got hurt a few times, made some crazy decisions but I really lived?”

I’m not sure who was more surprised, her or me! I reacted so strongly and in the moment found myself thinking hard about what I wanted to say about my life…….Am I open to the experience?

Wouldn’t it be better to feel love, really get in the moment and give it your all…..even if it means that you get hurt and feel the loss later? Is having the experience – good or bad – better than not having it at all?
There are many things that I want to teach my children – to be good, to be kind, to be honest, to be spiritual – but when I think about all the things that I can give them, most of all I want to teach them to love and to live – even when it’s scary – even when you might get hurt – even when it seems crazy. It will be the experiences that define their lives and will create the memories that live with them forever.

I hope that today – we are all blessed with an experience.

– Cathie