Reverb10..the ultimate challenge!

I came across this website by way of reading another one of my favorite websites ( http://www.37days.com/ ) It is called http://www.reverb10.com/ and it is this amazing writing challenge to reflect on this past year and manifest what's next to come. Each day for the entire month of December, leading up to the new year, they give you a writing prompt that causes you to reflect on 2010 and then to figure out what you want for the year to come. I came across this a few days late so I am just going to begin today. I encourage everyone to think about your answers to these questions and it may just open some doors or windows in to things you never really thought about...so here goes!

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

I have to admit I had to look back on all the pictures I have taken over the past year to help me with this one. It is seriously hard to come up with just one moment that I felt most alive...but my first instinct in answering this was to say it was when I was in Colorado for my friend Amy's wedding. I'm not sure if it was the difference in altitude or the beautiful scenery, but something about that trip touched me and made me feel differently about life.

The specific moment that comes to mind is a simple one...in between the actual wedding ceremony and the reception my dear, sweet, life long friends and I headed back to our condo and sat around an old wooden table in the middle of the room. We threw off our shoes, remained in our wedding formal clothes, ate some chips, drank a few beers, listened to some music and enjoyed the moment.

I don't remember exactly what we talked about or how long we sat there, but none of that really matters now...it was a perfect example of real, true friendship...the kind of friends you don't make in a year. No, these are friendships that have developed over 20 plus years...these are the type of friends you would do anything for, you don't have to explain anything to..the kind of friendships that pick up right where they left off even if it's been months since the last visit. These are the types of friends songs are written about and movies are made about...the kind some people only dream about.

In my head that day was perfect...we laughed, we danced, we forgot about all of lives many stresses and we came together like we have so many times, only this time was a little different. This time was the first time I looked around the room and realized my friends and I were real life adults...we had jobs, families, bills to pay, things we had to get home to. I was most alive in that moment because I was more aware of time than I have ever been. For a brief moment I panicked as the realization of time struck me...the clock is always ticking but as we get older it seems to tick a little louder reminding us those perfect moments will become more precious as life gets shorter and shorter. I felt the most alive because I was simply reminded that life is short...and I am pretty certain that had my life ended right after that moment with those amazing friends sitting around an old wooden table eating chips I would have died a very happy women!!!