Let’s face it, big plans never work out exactly the way you anticipate they will. It’s always the same tragic story: you spend months romanticizing a seemingly important event in your head, you sit down and spend hours planning said event, you wait impatiently for the moment it will all come together in the end but when the day finally arrives and the moment passes…you’re left with a strange feeling of disappointment…so now what? This was supposed to be life changing, and you’re supposed to feel different, right?
Don’t get me wrong: big moments are important. Everyone loves their birthdays, fun weddings or finally getting to see the twinkling Eiffel Tower after having a Paris-themed bedroom as a twelve-year-old; however, I believe it is the little moments along the way that shape and mold who we truly are. We are all accumulations of the small moments that bring us joy, not just the big things that society has deemed the most significant events of our lives.
This past semester, I had the opportunity to study abroad in London, England with some of my closest friends. Before going, I had so many preconceived visions of what my life would look like there, of all the places I would see and the people I would meet. I just knew I would come back a different person, that seeing these widely-acclaimed pieces of art and important monuments would change my life for the better. I built it up so much in my head, that when these “big” moments finally came to fruition, I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t feel like a changed woman. Taking a picture with Big Ben didn’t give me any answers about my life and Buckingham Palace didn’t hold the key to my true happiness…shocker!
I saw all of the sights. I traveled across Europe for months, meticulously planned trips, but the best thing that happened to me while studying in London was getting to see the first snowfall of the winter with my flatmates. The novelty of seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time (yes, I was the one who had a Paris-themed bedroom) was nothing compared to the contentment and joy I felt while watching a city I grew to love so much become powdered in snow. It was unplanned and chaotic. There was not a single expectation, we just walked around together, savoring each other’s company, as it was our last week there. The moment was small and nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s the one I hold closest to my heart when I think about my time in London. This small moment in the snow became something much larger as I realized it perfectly encapsulated what was most important about my abroad experience: the relationships I made and the city I was lucky enough to call home.
The small moments in life are usually the most significant, they are the ones you will remember the most. Small moments are the instances we recall to use as defensive weapons when we are having a bad day and need to remember something good in our lives. The small moments in life are who we truly are.
Instead of being defined by how many countries you’ve been to or significant pieces of art you’ve seen, wouldn’t you rather be defined by the smaller moments in life when you felt the most joy?
So, next time you’re planning that big, important event in your life, make sure to take a small moment and look out the window. If you’re lucky enough, you might see some snow.