We may not be conscious of it, but the day we are born is a milestone that we could consider one of the most beautiful moments in life. Some will say that talking to a crush, first kiss, finding a partner, getting married, having a first child, flying on a plane for the first time, and a lot more are the best moments worth keeping in one’s collective memories. But as we go on with life, the best moments that we do not expect will arise for us to experience. Or we can create one.
The best moment that we could all relate to—the stuff that rom-com movies are made of—is when you were sitting on a bench with a person you were madly in love with in the middle of the night. Kissing, watching the moon and the glittering stars, and just generally being in love together But some of the best moments in life are the ones we can’t tell anyone about because most of them happened outside our comfort zone. We don’t even know the best way of describing it, and we just want to keep it to ourselves.
The best moment could also be intrapersonal, like finally knowing oneself, including one’s personal needs, even if they’re different from other people, and being more confident in our boundaries and what we want. Discovering oneself, especially in the darkest times of life, allows us to shine even brighter in our lighter days. Those are essential because life is made of contrasts, and we are made of contrasts. It is the intangible ingredient, the catalyst, that makes life exciting.
I could say that writing this essay is one of the most beautiful moments in my life because it allows for self-reflection on the things that I have accomplished and the things that matter most in this stage of life.
When I was still a very young kid, I used to play with friends in the pile of sand on the nearby construction site. My mother would then tell me to get home when it was getting late, but I kept on playing. When I insisted, she would try to haul me out, but I would cry and bury my head in the sand. I would cry till my friends were gone.
When I was a student, I got caught up with persuasive friends and the accompanying peer pressure and forgot that I had a home to get back to. My mother would always remind me of it, but then the restlessness of the youth prevailed.
When I entered adulthood and got a job, I seldom visited my family. My mother would always ask when I would be home, but I had no answer. I was just getting swallowed up by the relentless demands of society, which I later learned wouldn’t matter in the end.
The gut-wrenching day came when I lost my mother while holding her hands. Even so, the tears failed to flow, and I don’t know the reason why. Perhaps I was just taking the grief in silence and on my own terms. After she was gone, I realized something beyond the bounds of time.
Every waking hour is a celebration, but it is a conscious call to be aware of. Every moment is the most beautiful moment in life because we are alive. We have to enjoy and appreciate the moments, the silence in between, and even more the presence of our loved ones, our families, friends, and the people we’ve just met, no matter how insignificant the moment seems. We have to embrace the moment, the now, and the present because all these will be lost in time and be gone, like my tears in the sand.
Looking back, I don’t think I understood the depth of those moments with my mother when I was still very young. Now, I consider it one of those most beautiful moments in life because, no matter how uneventful, it reminded me of her tender and comforting care.
I don’t want to close this on a sad note, so let me say that the most beautiful moment is now and the best moments in life are still ahead of us.