My son, Scott, 21, is leaving home on June 4th and joining the United States Air Force. Needless to say, my wife and I are enjoying every moment with him. It’s not that we haven’t enjoyed the moments before, but these last few weeks will be even more precious.
I ask myself, “Where has the time gone?” When I look at my son, I don’t just see a 21-year young man. I see a young boy playing catch with his Dad in the backyard. I see the disappointed look on his face as the ride operator at Disneyland tells us he’s not tall enough to go on ‘Indiana Jones’. I see him shuffling his hands through the big box of Legos trying to find that right piece.
Live in the moment. I’ve heard that expression so many times before, but I never really ‘lived’ it. It wasn’t until after Scott was born that my priorities slowly started to change. I learned to let go of the little things, the trivial stuff that gets in our way and to take time to enjoy what matters the most.
One evening Scott was making lots of noise shuffling through his Legos. I asked him to do it quietly so I could hear my television. Then, the situation began to dawn on me. I said to myself, “Enjoy the noise, Phil, because this moment won’t last forever”. I realized it wasn’t about me; it was about Scott and the joy in building something ‘really neat’. He was so engrossed in what he was doing. I just smiled and treasured the moment. Today, I look back at that night and treasure the memories.
When I perform my shows I take in each moment and enjoy the ‘ride’ with the audience. Seeing the joy and smiles on people’s faces and their excitement when the magic happens is a truly powerful moment. I get to be a part of their lives for a brief time. As a magician, I can snap my fingers and make a handkerchief disappear and reappear. I only wish I could make time reappear.
The three of us are going to Disneyland next week for 4 wonderful days. We’re going to stay at the Disney California Grand Hotel, get up at 7:00am for a power walk around the park, go on all the rides, and get a picture with Mickey Mouse. We’ll take lots of pictures. And, I am going to enjoy every minute.
If you have a story about ”living in the moment”, I would love to hear from you.
