Here is the thing; you cannot have a universe without the mind entering into it. That is basic quantum physics. (Ha you all think I don’t know about physics think again!)
And so, essentially, you create your own universe by what you think about. (I might delve into that later)
If this is all known why would anyone think anything bad?
On Tuesday I had a Radiohead concert down in San Diego at a venue called Embarcadero (not even sure if that is the correct spelling). I packed up my bags on Monday and headed down for a mini vacation full of fun, sun and music. Of course, I also then forgot my cell phone charger thus disabling me from any form of communication whether it is Internet or mobile for almost 48 hours.
That was actually pretty cool!
Embarcadero is just a giant lawn they make into a venue during the summer. It is right on the water. Knowing this, next time we won’t even have to buy tickets because people just dock their boats to watch the concerts or just climb the rocks of the jetty. It was absolutely stunning!
As I was standing there, with Radiohead playing an awesome show, the warm breeze, and the view of the city as well as the Harbor I got to thinking…
If our lives are like a photo album, why would we treat it any different than our regular photo albums?
When we get pictures back (or upload them on the computer) we don’t put the sucky shitty ones where we look like crap in the photo. The ones with our eyes closed or the less than flattering photos always get let go, thrown away, discarded like yesterdays trash.
Our experiences in life are like snapshots. Sometimes the snapshots are shitty and we are cast in an unfavorable light. Sometimes those snapshots show us crying.
But then there are the good snapshots. There are those pictures in our heads of happy times, love, ecstasy, fulfillment, fun, and laughter.
And, as we are gathering our data, moving along this journey, wouldn’t it be the better thing to just put the best snapshots into our album and let go of the rest. Let go of the painful ones and the sad ones. Think about the good times and you might find your album is full of a million things to appreciate.
I have so many snapshots to think of and be happy. There are these little pockets of memories that remind me that life has been pretty damn fantastic so far.
Walking into the Coliseum with my breath being taken out from under me – Snapshot
Walking through Strawberry Fields in Central Park on a brisk winters day – Snapshot
My first REM show when I was 13 – Snapshot
New Mexico (classified info) – snapshot
Skinny-dipping at 4:00 AM in Aruba
First kisses
First….ummmm…ya know.
First time it is actually good.
When someone looks you in the eye and tells you they love you.
Playing with your dog
Opening up the perfect gift. (cause I always love gifts *cough* hint hint *cough*)
The perfect baseball game. (ALDS comes to mind)
Reading that book that changes your life (i.e The Alchemist, Count of Monte Cristo, Meditations and Something Wicked This Way Comes)
Every single time you laugh…and make sure you do that every day
They are all snapshots to be put in my album. And if you really stop to think about it, they outweigh the sad or bad times by a million.
So I stood there, rocking out to Radiohead with the ocean to one side of me and the city to the other. I knew I was creating another snapshot. It was another moment I would look back on with appreciation and love. I guess I just thought, Wow what a great life to live.
Either that…or I just had one too many plastic cups of cheap beer.
You create your life by what you put into it. So what is going to go into yours?
9 comments:
Hey! That's MY city! I miss it, too.
I have mental snapshots of flying kites on the embarcadero, numerous times. And of avoiding "First Night" there more than one New Years Eve. I have mental snapshots of my parents, my children, and Slim and I walking through that park six months ago gazing across the bay at Coronado to the bakery where I used to work, and the restaurant that has a FABULOUS brunch. I have more than a few mental snapshots of the summer I worked at the restaurant at the embarcadero (and the woman who took me away from that on a week long driving trip to North Carolina and back with her kids and father).
I'm sure I've got a few actual photos somewhere of a lot of these things. I also have a few bad mental pictures there (that's where an ex threw up on my shoes upon learning that I was not in love with her). But overall, I fill my life with good mental pictures, and plenty of them came from that very spot.
Thanks for reminding me.
I like what you're getting at, but I think forgetting about the other times could be a dangerous proposition. I like to think of them as learning experiences. If you forget them, perhaps the lesson would be lost. Maybe you could just keep the "other" snapshots in a seperate, very discreet album, and only take it out when you need a reminder...
Another great post. Mine would be family holidays when I was a kid, the day I met my younger sister in the hospital lobby, meeting my spouse, seeing Tink for the first time, the birth of the best nephew in the world, and seeing my favorite group ever! (And a ton of other ones I can't think of right now!)
I appreciate the sentiment expressed in this post. I think that the "bad" and the "sad" times can make just as beautiful snapshots in the album, just as they're equally important elements in our life story.
anonymous - Thank you! And, let me clarify. It is important to remember them but not to dwell upon them. It is my "have grattitude for what you have instead of dwelling upon what you don't" attitude :)
P.S why anon huh? :)
twobuyfour - you are from so cal? OK so you know what I am talking about how awesome that place is!! I am going to go buy a boat to dock there hehe.
work in progress - I always make sure I laern from thsoe bad times I just prefer to learn the lessons and then not dwell on them (no pity me attitudes if that makes sense?) Good idea about the other album though...maybe one ya keep under the bed.
shoppergirl - so who is the favorite group? Are we talking about Poison? LOL (I remember things)
rachel, i think i need to have your thoughs directly linked to my brain....
once again, you hit the nail on the head.... especially w/ your firsts....
for me it is that morning sunrise at camp - it comes too early and too bright right into my tent over the water(especially after the unmentionable activites of the previous night) but the silence and the view is too much to pass up
Really good advice..not always easy to do, but I agree..the more wonderful "Metephorical" snapshots along with the real ones, the better!
And YES! When I was doing my life in words and pictures those weeks before my Birthday...many were the "good" snapshots, literally and figuratively....The Best way!
As to those Goodie Bags...I love putting together these fun 'childrens' type toys and games and favors...we are all children at heart, (At least I hope we are) and it gives people permission to "play" no matter how old they are....and what can be bad about that? So, I say go for it Rachel!
Okay. Awesome post. A Radiohead concert brings me back a few years but still sounds like fun. The post reminds me of Jim Croce's "Photographs and Memories", which clearly illustrates the importance of pictures in our lives. By the way, your pictures add a nice element to this entry. Also, cellphones suck because there are always pieces/parts we are forgetting. Why do they need batteries anyway?
What a great way to put things into perspective. I can see my album and it has some empty pages but I think that is because I am too selective in what I put into the album. I have to be less selective and use the bad to learn from and promote the good.Thanks
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