There are moments in our lives that seem to define us, what we are. They may be ground shaking, like a tragic event, a close personal death, a global decision like moving to a foreign country, or they might pass almost without notice, their impact only to be realised years later when we look back and search for meaning.
For some it will be a career choice, for others the birth of a child. Whatever those moments are, the changes they bring are often more important than thousands of little changes and decisions we make every day in the sleepwalking that stands for our normal lives.
Often in those moments, we are more alive (or should I say awake) and every minute seems to stretch, so fill with now, that the rest of our days and years is like a dream compared to the reality of those instants. Life and death situations are typical examples, but we can all easily find those events in our lives if we take a few minutes to think about it.
But I do not think those event shape us. I do not believe that they define us, what we are or what we become.
What we do when they happen, how we react and what we choose is key to what we become.
I don't believe people are born heroes. They just happen to be at the right (wrong?) place at the right time, and when the moment comes, they choose right. And what they did before has less weight, even if it was years of bad mindless decisions, than the choice they make then.
We all heard stories about a drunk in an alley that saved a child from a building on fire. People not known for their courage or leadership who took control and saved many lives when a disaster occurred. These are not the exception. They are the rule.
But if we are what we do when it counts, and if most of the time we live in a dreamlike non-important daily struggle, what can we do to make those moments come more often in our lives?
The past is dead. It has no bearing on the present, or the future.
Wake up! We can be awake and feel our lives pass instead of sleepwalking most of it.
Let's make now important, let's make it count, and maybe we can be what we do now. Is there anything important for me in my life that I could do now?
Now... If I could only apply this myself a little more... Just a little would be more than enough ;-)
Back to sleep?