"Savor the moment but accept that it will pass."
"I was once what you are, you will become what I am."
I was on my daily walk yesterday listening to a book while I walked. Recently, I have embraced listening to books while walking. I usually have one print book going and at least one Audible book in progress. Before you ask, yes, sometimes I confuse them, especially when they have similar story lines like the last two did. Not doing that again! Another thing I have embraced are books about the Camino. I am listening to my third one...I just can't resist them. They are especially good to listen to while walking, I go a lot farther just imagining I am walking with the narrator back on the Camino and remembering the miles we put in every day. "I did it then, I can do it now" is the mantra that goes through my mind to make me go the extra mile now.
The quotes above were in the current book I am listening to, Steps Out of Time, by Katharine B Soper. Another woman in her late 50's who does the Camino...alone. She has a perspective I find admirable and makes me want to go back and do more of the Camino. Yesterday, on my walk/listen, she said two things that I actually had to stop, get out my phone, and write down so I would not forget them! As much as I tell myself, "Oh, I need to remember that", the chances of it actually happening are slim, so to my notes I must go.
The first quote that caught my attention was "I was once what you are, you will become what I am." Among its possible origins are a Roman epitaph or Horace, there are many out there. It rung so true to me as a member of that generation between our aging parents and our children who are now parents. I have a mother who is rather gracefully dealing with her loss of independence, loss of her spouse, and dementia and I wonder if this too will be my lot. I also have daughters with children, and they are dealing with all of those parenting issues that by the grace of God I managed to navigate my way through. There were days, weeks and months that were challenging, rewarding, exhausting and fun! I walked in those stylish shoes and wonder what my future shoes look like. Probably utilitarian, non-slip and comfortable...with a splash of pink.
The quote that made me really stop and think was the first quote. "Savor the moment but accept that it will pass."
savour verb [ T ] UK (US savor) uk / ˈseɪ.və r/ us / ˈseɪ.vɚ / to enjoy food or an experience slowly, in order to enjoy it as much as possible.
How many moments in our lives have we just stopped and savored? There have been countless moments that I wish would never have passed! Those perfect moments you want to have last forever...or at least for longer. I think this is why I love photography so much. It is capturing those moments for future reference. This quote made my walk so much more interesting as my mind wandered off to some of the most perfect moments of my life. I may have missed some of the book while my mind wandered.
Part of savoring the moment is being aware and present enough in the moment to stop and take it all in. Take in that moment when you enter a tunnel on one side of a mountain only to exit on the other side to the most exquisite view of the sea and the mountains in the distance. Savor that moment when the sun is setting, and it lights up the sky to the most incredible colors you can imagine. Savor the moment you gave birth, and you felt a love that was bigger than anything you ever thought possible. Savor the that feeling of accomplishing something you only dreamed was possible. Savor sitting around the table with people you love, laughing and sharing a delicious meal.
The hard part is the accepting that it will pass. That double edged sword. Time marches on and those moments only last...a moment. Before you know it, the sun has set and it is dark, that newborn baby is a confounding teenager, that accomplishment is diminished by the next goal and the meal is over and the dishes need to be done. But you had that moment! Savor them!
