The quote I chose for this blog says, “Life is an occasion. Rise to it.”
Though I haven’t always, I now try to treat every day as though it were a special occasion.
That might sound pretentious, but to me it’s just a humble accepting of the fact that every day is borrowed, and I’m not guaranteed my next breath. But while I still have life to live, I want to treat everyone and everything as though they were the most special thing I’ve ever beheld. Because the truth is, they are.
Have you ever noticed how a child or a baby views everything with the utmost fascination? How everything holds a sense of wonder and excitement? We’re born wondering, exploring, praising God and rejoicing with Him as we discover the world He’s given us. But somehow, as though through spiritual amnesia or just the curse of familiarity, it isn’t long before we forget and just want more: the best car, the best dress, the best degree, the best house. What we have is no longer enough.
Another favorite quote says, “There is beauty in every moment,” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) and it’s so true! We’re usually just too busy to take it in.
For example, there’s this old fireworks stand on the side of the road near my house that’s been there for as long as I can remember. I’ve driven past it for at least fifteen years, and you know what? I’m only just now stopping to appreciate it and how much character it has. ‘Till now, I just never realized how many childhood memories, nostalgia, and history it represents.
It stays up all year-round, but is open for only one week out of the entire year, and that, of course, is the first week in July.
This last July, I finally decided to stop by and take a picture or two:
There’s just some things that capture the essence of a place, and for me, this little stand does just that. It’s pretty isolated, just out on the side of the road for apparently no other reason than to be open, without fail, the first week in July. Us mountain folk, we’re kind of like that stand. Independent, at times isolated, just out there in the world staking our place.
But we’re independent because we’re also free. We value independence, and it starts with that flag. We have the freedom to live and worship as we please, and that’s a gift too often taken for granted.
People here are hardworking, blue-collar type people, and we know what it means to have to work for everything we have. You won’t find many snobs here, and if you do, you’ll be run out of town quick.
But we’re also united. Small town life allows us to have a community few people get to experience. A place where the fairgrounds are the very hub of town, generations of people have grown up together, and even the ladies at the gas station know your name.
Yes, I’ve craved something more, different, better at times (*ahem* a place where I wouldn’t be looked at twice for wearing heels or not liking the snow, maybe), but at the end of the day, it comes down to a simple fact:
I sure am going to miss it here.
It’s my goal to soak in each and every beautiful moment that comes my way. Which will be a lot, because there truly is beauty in every moment, no matter where you are in the world. You just have to stop long enough to see it.
“Never seen anyone wear heels like that at the stand before,” a woman said to me, coming from behind the stand with a box on her hip.
I just grinned and said, “It’s a special occasion.”
Thank you for this sweet reminder, Lizzie!
Thank you for the sweet comment! ❤ So glad you stopped by. 🙂
Love it! This picture is perfect!
Thank you! My mom actually took the pic. 🙂 She was the only one who understood, lol. Everyone else was all, “And you wanna take a picture of the fireworks stand because…?” Haha.