Words of Wisdom: Can You Feel It?

Can you feel it?

Lia Vosti

Can you feel it? Can you feel the ground under your feet? Can you feel the stillness of the air, the way it feels as it rushes into your lungs? Can you feel the energy of the space around you? What about the energy inside of you? Can you feel it?

People say, “moments come and moments go,” but in the middle of those two clauses is a moment, happening. 

Time is a funny thing. When we talk about it, we divide it into the past and the future so that our lives are made up of moments and events that have already happened, are currently happening, and are soon to happen. And, most oddly, when we communicate with one another? We most often experience something, conjure up a thought worthy of sharing, and finally open our mouth to articulate that thought. This process clearly takes time. Not a lot, but just enough to categorize those words as the past, prohibiting us from talking about a moment while we are still in it. We seldom see this as a shortcoming of speech, as we know no different, but it is one. 

I don’t mean to devalue the art of speaking. Its benefits are clear, and it remains one of humanity’s primary means of communication. But, I believe the truest way to enjoy a moment is not to talk about it, but to feel it in its entirety. 

Sometimes we plan for perfect moments, sometimes we don’t. Arguably, we plan for less than half of the perfect moments that occur in our lives. But whether they are planned or spontaneous, your response should be the same: quiet absorption of all that your senses perceive.  

This morning I sat on my porch, the fresh air drawing the sleep from my face. It was raining, but not cold. I held a warm cup of coffee between my palms. I took a sip, and felt proud that I brewed a cup of coffee that actually tasted good. This was my perfect moment. So I just sat there, and felt it.  

When you happen to stumble upon a perfect moment, feel it. Breathe it in. Let it tingle your cells and make them come alive. We were given senses for a reason, to connect us to the world around us. So use them! Pay attention to what you hear, taste, smell, see, and feel; pay attention to the way the world touches you. 

You’re alive, can you feel it?

"... it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst ...

And then I remember ... to relax, and not try to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life."

-American Beauty

The Woman Behind the Monthly Words of Wisdom:

Lia Vosti is an undergraduate at Santa Clara University, majoring in Bioengineering. Growing up together, her words always made the most obscure situations crisp and clear. It is clear that she is the up and coming Renaissance woman, able to give homely advise after a day in the lab.