“Life is made up of a collection of moments that are not ours to keep. The pain we encounter throughout our days spent on this earth comes from the illusion that some moments can be held onto. Clinging to people and experiences that were never ours in the first place is what causes us to miss out on the beauty of the miracle that is the now. All of this is yours, yet none of it is. How could it be? Look around you. Everything is fleeting. To love and let go, love and let go, love and let go...it's the single most important thing we can learn in this lifetime." -Rachel Brathen
Sometimes I stop for a second and am struck by the realization that everything in this world, in my world is so incredibly fleeting. Nothing can remain the same; change is inevitable. At first, the thought cripples me but then I feel relief knowing that nothing will be the same as it is in that moment. That would be too easy.
The world is everchanging, hopefully progressing. The good, the bad. Pain and happiness. It is all temporary. It can be scary to realize that you can't really count on something as "forever."
In my time here in Ireland, this realization has become a lot more apparent to me. I've experienced so many beautiful moments and realized after that it was just that - a moment. Sometimes after it's over, I feel content. Sometimes I grasp at the memory... wishing for more time, thinking I need it.
The cities I fly to for a weekend. Having to say goodbye just as fast as I said hello.
Seasons. There will always be a place in the world where leaves are falling. Just like there will be places with snow falling, flowers blooming, the sun shining, rain pouring.
The people I meet that I most likely won't see again.
A handsome stranger who's name I never learn.
Passing people on the sidewalk and making eye contact and for one second, just one second, I can see into their world.
Balls out honesty between two people in the dark.
A cloudburst the ends just as quickly as it started.
The moment at a concert where you can feel everyone there lose themselves in the beat.
My time here.
A certain person can be a prominent person in your life one day and the next, they're just another person you used to know. Or maybe you meet for one night and share too much because you'll never see them again. Or maybe you finally open up to the person you've shut out for so long. Giving anyone a part of yourself is terrifying but so necessary. People think they only have so much to give to other people but that's not true. The more people you meet and the more open you are, the more you grow. By partaking in this cycle, you can help others change too.
It is okay to be a fleeting memory in someone's life. Even though you might feel yourself slipping from their memory, you'll always be the girl they met at that concert they went to in Dublin, or the guy they met at the cute coffee shop in Prague, or the guy they met in the first day of class who's name they never learned. You'll become the main character in stories from their wild youth. From the best times of their life. Or maybe the worst. You'll become a story they tell while drinking wine and sitting around a table with friends. You'll become a part of who they are and that will never be fleeting. So let the sun shine from your chest and speak in music to everyone you meet.
Don't worry so much about how fast it's all passing. What's the use of wondering, where have I been for the last time? Who have I seen for the last time? Will I get to do everything I want to?
There will never be enough time. So live, live, LIVE because life is beautiful but oh God, it's so short. Soon you'll be a statistic; you'll be one of ________ people that died that year.
There's nothing you can do about the lack of permanence.
Live and let go.