It’s easy to keep throwing myself at things that I wish I could do, that I wish I could have. It’s sometimes more difficult to see that what I have is important, meaningful, and altogether good. It’s not that I cannot be satisfied, and more in that I am constantly projecting myself into tomorrow. I am less holding on, more thinking about the future.
I met a friend who challenged me to think and be in the present. The idea sounded silly at first. But of course I am living in the present, I am here. To be is a rather strange idea to ponder. Mull it over. What does it mean to be? How does one begin to approach this question? That is the question I worked through during my last semester at UC Berkeley while reading Heidegger. To be present in a situation into which we are thrown, in which we create our own present.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. A new friend of mine told me that it is his favorite holiday. The food was his reason. I think this is one of my favorite holidays because it gives me the excuse to reach out to those who have inspired me throughout the year, or in my life. I spend the day with family and friends connected by that IRL or online status.
I realize that phones once connected, now seem to disconnect us. Many of my best friends are scattered internationally along the globe’s surface, others weren’t at the family dinner table. I sent a quick text to loved ones, wherever they may have been, with a few things I wanted to thank them for. Whether it was something as small as gifting me a piece of paper and pen at a pivotal moment to motivating me and helping me make a big decision, I remembered and thanked them all. This day shouldn’t be the only one on which I thank people. It usually isn’t. But I take Thanksgiving as one on which I can thank people for things that might normally go unnoticed or un-noted, for example, being someone at work that I enjoy seeing every morning.
Yesterday really made me realize just how lucky I really am. When busy with the rapidity of the every day, I lose sight of just how many people my life has crossed paths with, just how many people have inspired me, have touched my heart, how many ideas I have been fortunate enough to share and take part in with others.
Life is a gift that is meant to be shared. There are moments in which I need to seek refuge from everything external from my skin, when I need to be alone. But the people whom I have surrounded myself are my most prized treasures, they are what makes my life interesting, colorful, and worth the pain and punches life often does throw. This is why it is difficult for me to let go, to pretend that slipping away doesn’t matter. I have a love for people that surpasses the common connection. To know someone is a rare thing, a beautiful thing. To experience the mind of another is wonderful. Something quite unforgettable. Each person is a masterpiece that lends paint to each other person as they meet and greet and connect. Together a gallery of faces and histories. Each unique. A dance of colors and sharing. That’s what it all is.
It is a blessing to be able to reflect on, acknowledge, and be grateful for this. Thank you to those in my life, those I have met, and those I will meet (but I won’t get too ahead of myself).
Gabriella Gini 