The other day, I was at yoga chatting with the one of the owners before class. His name is Phil and Phil loves the Toronto Raptors. As you may know, the Raptors had a really good season and well, let’s just say Phil was beyond excited. So excited, in fact, that he followed the team around the USA and Canada as they pursued their dream of winning an NBA championship.
I asked Phil how his adventure went even though the Raptors lost and he said, “It’s all about the experience.”
Since that day, I’ve been thinking about “the experience.” I’ve heard it before, but I’m not sure I really got it until just recently. See, I’m a do-er. I love to check this and that off my list. I like to focus on the end result almost exclusively, so much so that, you guessed it, I don’t fully experience the experience.
After this conversation with Phil, my husband and I were having a conversation about how my yoga classes have been going. The studio has this awesome incentive during your intro month, attend 25 classes in a month and get your next month for $10. Sweet! I’m a sucker for a good contest. When asked how it was going, I fretted and said, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” My husband knew I had already gone to over 20 classes and said, “Haven’t you gone about 20 times already?” I pouted some more and said that I had, but that it didn’t matter because I wasn’t going to make my 25.
It’s all about the experience.
He reminded me that I tend to go all in, no holds barred, whenever I start something new. He reminded me that 20 times in a month is REALLY GOOD and that I need to celebrate that. He reminded me that it isn’t always about the singular moment at the end, but that . . . {drum roll please} it’s about the experience.
Today, I’m celebrating my four year wedding anniversary. I remember the months, weeks, and days leading up to the wedding, that one singular moment in time that we place so much emphasis on, that one day that “defines” an entire relationship. It is a day I look back on with the fondest of memories. But, as I look back on the last four years (ten of being together!) through the lens of the experience I am consumed with the utmost gratitude and joy.
Through the lens of the experience, I see Justin perfecting his homemade chili on a cold Chicago winter’s day, I feel the anticipation of seeing him as I ride up the escalator at the Logan Square El stop, I hear his soothing words telling me I’ll pass my law school final, I see him helping my uncle power wash the deck in preparation for my law school graduation party, I see him hugging his parents so tightly with every hello and goodbye, I see him wipe tears from his eyes when he sees me in my wedding gown for the first time, I hear him as he shares his wedding vows with me and our loved ones, I see him dancing up a storm in a way only he can, I feel him watching me with so much love as I soak in our wedding day, I see his sweat as he lifts another box into the moving truck for our next move, I feel his heart break as he drives North and I drive South on highway 35, I see his support as he guides me to push one more time and then one more time again, I feel his complete awe as he holds our baby girl for the first time, I hear his strong, protective words as he tells me to go back to bed and rest, I feel his love for my mom as they exchange sassy quips, I see his fierce papa bear kicking in as he holds our baby boy in the Special Care Unit, I feel his devotion to our family as he rises every morning at 5am to go to work, I see his strength, courage, and love each and every day. It’s all about the experience.
Whether it’s a job or a yoga class, a wedding day or a family vacation, or chasing the Raptors around the country, it truly is all about the experience. <3
