That One Time I Put Away My Phone And Lived In The Moment
Short(ish) Story:
So I'm not big on concerts and festivals... sometimes the annoyance of crowds, long lines & sloppy drunk people takes away from the fun of it you know?
HOWEVER.
Tortuga is the one concert I attend everyyy single year. It's a country music festival literally ON the beach here in Fort Lauderdale, my beautiful hometown. There's nothing quite like sipping Coronas on a beach, toes in the warm sand... dancing to artists like Luke Bryan & Kenny Chesney (and maybe a little bumping & grinding to NELLY).
This past weekend I was there with two of my best girlfriends from out of town. I'm not going to name drop or brag because that's obnoxious- however I will say we were extremely fortunate to be given unique access to the event, and got to meet & spend time with really great people. From start to finish, it was one my favorite weekends to date.
Nelly, y'all. ^
Throughout the weekend, I remember stopping myself (and my friends) multiple times and saying pinch me please? Look what we're doing, look where we're at, what is life!?
Reflecting back, I can't help but feel slightly sad it's over. All that's left are memories, fading tan lines *and some photos & videos that shall never see the light of day ;)
I certainly enjoyed the hell out of it at the time, but my only regret is not living even more in the present. Absorbing every second of it.
We're all guilty of it at times, regardless of the situation we're in. It's pretty easy to get wrapped up into the fast pace of the day, stressing about the past or future, rushing to get ready, whipping out your phone... letting trivial shit annoy you.
OK I lied about the bragging thing, but for the sake of this post I have to share, bare with me: At one point during a performance, my friend and I were asked to come on stage to dance to one of our favorite songs. Front and center. NBD. Standing in front of a sea of tens of thousands of people, the bright blue, um... actual sea, to our right, Old Dominion playing next to us... I went to reach for my phone because lets be real, epic Snapchat opp. BUT I stopped myself. I decided to leave my phone in my purse and soak in the energy of it all. I knew I'd never experience this again.
In that moment, I was in a completely EUPHORIC state.
I couldn't have been happier if I tried. Oddly enough, I've felt this exact feeling before, but in the most simple situations.
Lesson learned & noted:
You don't need to be dancing on stage at a concert, or on an exotic trip or fancy vaca in order to feel completely & utterly happy. Like I said, I've had that same exact feeling in the most simple moments: sitting alone on a beach reading a book, being surrounded at dinner with family, drinking coffee on my balcony, watching a sunset...
How? Being completely present.
Try it.
The next time you're in a situation that makes you feel happy and alive, put the phone down and soak it all in... pinch yourself more often than not and throw yourself into the moment.
Use that time to remind yourself how crazy lucky you are to be here, to be alive. Be fully present and take it ALL in. The sights, the sounds, the smells. This is life and it's moving quickly. Don't let another day or experience pass you by without enjoying the hell out of it as much as you possibly can.
Fun fact:
Our "problems" aren't that bad, and life is better than we think. Our lives are made up of individual moments, happening one at a time... and there's true power in the presence.
So lets get out of our heads and off our phones...
Because in this moment, life is pretty damn incredible.
xx jen
"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life." -My man, Eckhart Tolle
My forever favorite book: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
