Moments

“Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.”
Walt Whitman

After reading this story in The Washington Times, I began to think about how we all have those special experiences.

A guy with a metal cart selling rice and-bean burritos for almost 20 years, he was on the corner of 17th street. There in all weather, he became a dependable sight in downtown Washington DC. He recalled not only his patrons’ food preferences, but also the names of their children. When he told you he hoped you would have a good day,” he really meant it.

Until suddenly, this week, he wasn’t. When the hungry emerged from their marble lobbies, in place of Guardado’s cart they found a hand-written sign posted by his brother-in-law announcing that the burrito man had suffered a heart attack and died a few days earlier. He was 48.

All day, they came, working folks who had made Guardado a part of their routine, suddenly realizing that the burrito guy had found his way into their hearts.
They became friends, connected by nothing other than their acquaintance with a cheerful Burrito seller.

This story of the burrito seller is a wonderful example of how living in the moment, noticing the so called small every day experiences, become exquisite memories. They are the substance of life. In contrast, goals are not about substance, they are the happenings in the future and have nothing to do with now. If we fill our lives only with distant goals, our lives, by definition, feel empty now. Goals are very important but goals are not our life, now is our life.

‘Life is made up of special moments which make it worth living. There are many cherished moments that are missed due to the stress and fast pace of daily living. We must slow down and remember how precious it is to be alive and to love!’