“Moments”
Last December I facilitated a two week activity for interested high school students on the subject of Positive Psychology. We met as a small group for a couple of hours each morning for 10 straight weekdays. The idea I had was a simple one, it basically being me wanting to help them focus on seeing the brilliant things that are being offered to us all the time.
I began each of those days by showing the students a short video. For your consideration and, hopefully, inspiration, I am embedding it here.
Life is made up of nothing but moments. Be awed by them, ok?
Link to Book: “My Grandfather’s Blessings”
Kind Living 
I loved the video – moments like watching your child get on the bus, seeing a young couple on a park bench exchange a kiss, enjoying a concert… so many small moments add up to a lifetime of good memories.
Thank you for sharing this video. It really touched me. I have watched it several times tonight. How true that we live in moments and each moment we have the ability to marvel at life. I have noticed and marveled at moments with my family this week. We celebrated a birthday on Monday, and I was awed by the children’s excitement to be part of the action. They loved blowing up balloons, hanging streamers (mainly across doorways 3 feet high!), they were thrilled to measure ingredients and frost the cake, and have been making gifts and homemade wrapping paper for weeks. The most special may have been seeing their excitement to give their homemade gifts. Their eagerness and enjoyment of each of these moments was infectious and I found myself living these moments more fully as well.
I also marveled at our late April snowfall that covered everything overnight Monday night and looked so beautiful Tuesday morning. Life can be hard, but it can be so beautiful too.
My husband and I are on our road trip from SLC back to our home on a lake in Texas. These last two days we spent a lot of the time driving in the mountains. Despite having skied for the last four months, we found our selves marveling at the high plateaus still filled with snow and the peaks brilliant in the sunshine because they were covered in snow. We also happened upon a huge nest on top of an old power line with two eagles in it. We had to stop to take pictures but the road we turned into went into a small subdivision called Eagles Nest. My husband was going to give up but I insisted. We have several photos but by the time we started taking only one parent was on the nest. My childlike wonder was working great today!
Brooke your post reminded me that we all still have the potential to react like your children did. The more we exercise it, the more life seems joyful, I think.
I agree, Linda! Childlike wonder is where our joy resides! It feels so good when we tap into that reserve. I enjoyed your description of the beautiful vistas and your feelings of awe seeing the snowy peaks and eagles.
May we all continue to revel like children in our lives’ blessings!
Here here on embracing the child within. I direct a program that works with 223 students across 9 art forms every summer. One of our alums is making his way in the opera world. He applied for a grant from us to continue his professional development in Europe. His name is Christopher Burchette. He was asked to sing the roll of Willy Wonka at a staged reading of the new opera called “The Golden Ticket.” He submitted a video of this aria as a work sample. He sings beautifully but the best part of the video is watchng the young boy sitting next to him who sings the role of Charlie watching Christopher sing. The boy is filled with awe and you can just hear him in his head , “I hope I can sing like him someday.” I encourage you to go to YouTube and type in “Golden Ticket opera Burchette.” Watch the boy’s face. Awe-some.
Hi Carrie,
I typed in the words you suggested but did not find the clip that you described. Any suggestions?
I found it here:
What a great video, Carrie! That little boy is so much fun to watch as he watches Christopher Burchette sing! Imagine if we all had someone like that alongside to help us notice the awesomeness in our lives. I guess that is what embracing the child within means. 🙂
Thank you for sharing the video!