Feeling Life All Around You

Whether I was in the car during the drive to Virginia Beach, sitting on the balcony people watching, going for a run, or in the warm ocean water staring out at the horizon, I was thinking. I put Ellie Goulding's "Anything Could Happen" on repeat and just let the elements hit me.

I let the salt water brush along my toes at the shore. I felt the force of the waves rip just over my head as I was duck diving. I watched them form ever so gradually until they reached me then felt them pick me up and carry me all the way to where the ocean met the land - a feeling that makes me all dizzy in the head and happy in the heart.

I listened to the piercing engines of F-18's soar over the hotels and out to sea hour after hour. I let the gleaming sun soak into my skin and watched all day as the sun moved from one end of the sky to the other. It gave me a new appreciation for this world. Away from the computer and work desk and traffic and social media, this was life. Days full of moments of life felt in every aspect.

While I was in Virginia Beach, I had a lot of time to just clear my mind and think. I remember the first night I was there, I was sitting out on the balcony listening to my iPod. Not much time passed before thoughts started flooding my mind. These thoughts were so vivid; so clear.

On life being too short

I thought about my mom a lot. It was the first time in our old family vacation spot without her here on Earth. There were so many moments I just wanted to pick up the phone and share with her. It was a reminder that life is so short. A reminder that you just need to get out there and do the things that are worthwhile.

Life is too short to spend 40 hours of your week doing something that doesn't make you come alive. It's too short to surround yourself with people who dull your sparkle, don't show respect, or don't lift your heart when it's at its heaviest. Life is too short to settle. For anything.

I can't say that enough and I refuse to ever back down from that belief. Sometimes it really scares me to look back and see how quickly the years of my life have passed by. How it felt as though it was just yesterday when I was building sandcastles in that sand and dancing to the puppet show on the boardwalk. Life flies by... This belief and this constant reminder kind of leads in to the other thoughts I had throughout my trip. Thoughts about dreams, relationships, careers, etc. I will be sharing those here soon. 

Find life. Feel it. Through all the big moments and all the little ones. Just push yourself to really see it all around you and never take it for granted. Each moment that passes is a moment gone.