These past four days have been incredible. 

They have been full of laughter, conga lines, d&m's with old friends, Hairspray hype, photo booths, much too much sugar, "Single ladies" impersonations, and most of all, celebrating love ... here, now, & for the future. In my life, times like these are rare and so precious. This is why I find myself swept up in these moments, soaring above the clouds in complete joy & utter bliss. Though the time comes when I must return to earth, and am left in a crumpled and exhausted heap, all I can do ... is smile.

As I smile and find time to actually breathe, I often find myself wishing ... if only I had just ... taken more photos, fitted more into my days, or even slipped a blog post in, in the middle of the crazy-ness. 

But what's the point of that? 

What is the point in living life controlled by blogging? What is the point in being controlled by your work or even ambitions? All these things are great, don't get me wrong, but I, we, need to make sure we don't let these things become more important, or get in the way of actually living.

via muchloveilly

"I think what makes a well-rounded blogger is one who does their research first, one who immerses themselves in the fullness of life. often times that means, shutting the face of the laptop and putting away our phones and just living life. when we are somewhere with our family or friends or experiencing something new, to be fully there, not just in body but also in mind. 
  Soak up the sights and the smells. laugh and smile, not because a camera is pointed at you. taste and see the goodness of God and the beauty of the moment, not because it makes good writing material or that it'll give you a zillion likes" Ilene; Muchloveilly.

We live in a world that values us for how 'busy' we are. How full our lives are of rushing around, multitasking, planning, preparing, organising, doing ... all the while having at least one piece of technological equipment glued to our hand. 

So, I challenge you ... change this. 
{This is certainly not God's plan for our lives!}

Make dinner time = family time. Not dinner time + family + a mobile beeping + someone updating their facebook status. Make memories full of true conversation, rolling around on the grass laughing, or even someone snapping that priceless smile on your face.

True. Honest. Simple. Real.

not

Manufactured. Distracted. or Dissatisfied.

By learning to live in the moment you will come to realise that life is rich ... it is full of spice, variety, joy & emotion - all these things that go unnoticed and get lost in the hustle & bustle of noisy life.

Take one step today towards a more peaceful, real, and full life. Set aside one activity you do with family or friends and wholeheartedly & consciously make an effort to ... just. be. there.