You're gonna miss this...

The country song "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins has been running through my mind lately. The basic story-line is a girl growing up and always wishing she was older and at a different stage of life... highschool, marriage, babies, etc. The chorus of the song is the mother and father telling her to slow down and enjoy the moments.

"You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this"

I have been thinking about the times in my life that I really miss, what made them great, and how I can enjoy my current situation more.

High school... uh, no.

Been there. Done that. Not really interested in reliving any of that.

College, on the other-hand, was where I really found my identity. The friends that I made in college will forever have a special place in my heart. For me, BYU is one of the places that will always bring back a flood of wonderful memories. I definitely miss the atmosphere, the learning, the friends, and that time in my life.

(My cousin Natalie described it well on her blog when she recently went back to visit.)

I enjoyed those years a lot, but maybe I did take it for granted at the time. Hopefully, I can pass on those great memories and experiences to my children. We went down to campus today for the first time since we have been back, and I definitely felt a bit wistful.

We ate lunch in the Cougar Eat, bought chocolate-covered cinnamon bears in the bookstore, looked at the displays in the Eyring Science Center, drove by the football stadium, and walked all over campus. It was a good day. The boys loved it and kept yelling "Go Cougars" for the last 10 minutes of the drive. Maybe someday they will be feeling this same way about BYU.

Mom and the boys in front of the library

The boys by the Tree of Life statue

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All that being said, when I think about the song, I also remember that right now is a great time in my life that I should enjoy fully. We are living in and fixing up our first home. I'm sure this time and place will always be sentimental to me for that reason. My boys are little, cute, and innocent (most of the time). I want to remember these days when they are grown up.

That brings up the question... How do you fully enjoy the moment, the here and now?

I really don't know the answer.

I know that I work really hard being the record-keeper for my family (pictures, blogs, scrapbooks, etc.) I think this helps me because I get to relive all of the events and moments shortly after they happen and then have them to relive in the future. My mom has taken on a new attitude of "living life without regrets." She never misses an opportunity to be with family, she plans and coordinates trips, she tries new things (have you heard about her rafting and cliff diving?), and always makes an effort to build memories. For her, living in the moment is an attitude that she has developed. Maybe that's part of the answer too.

All I know is that "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."* I am planning on doing a little more enjoying.

*Quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley. It has been my favorite for many, many years.