"I Said Remember This Moment"

Thoughts on being present and cherishing all of your moments while you are living them

“There will be a time that we look back and wish that we were doing what we are doing right now.” I cannot give credit for where this quote came from because I might have made it up myself or it may be a combination of thoughts I’ve heard on podcasts. The concept of being “in the moment” has been on my mind for months now, as Tyler and I have frequent conversations regarding our future and since the business of travel therapy itself is very planning-oriented.

At the beginning of each new year, Tyler and I make a list of personal, financial, travel, and relationship goals to serve as a framework for the year to come. In these little family meetings we plan out as much as we can for the new year, including where we want to take contracts at and what personal travels we would like to fit in. All of this planning leads us to have a baseline hint of excitement for what is coming up next at all times. While this excitement and anticipation for a new adventure is an absolute blessing that is not lost on us, we also feel as though we can spend so much time looking towards the future that we forget to take in every single moment of the adventure we are living right now.

Over the past few months, we have been reminding each other to “be in the moment” and to soak up these last 5 weeks of my contract here in Monterey. We have had many conversations about how we have almost become desensitized to the extraordinary beauty around us - since these views have been our “normal” since September 2023. I feel a sting of disappointment in myself as at times I fall into the trap of seeking somewhere even more beautiful, with even better views, and even more excitement. It’s the never ending hamster wheel of American culture - always wanting the next best thing.

I imagine a day in the future where Tyler and I are cozied up enjoying a home that is ours. Taylor Swift is softly playing in the background, singing "long live all the magic we made." We are looking at scrapbooks I've made and reminiscing about all of the beautiful places God has allowed us to experience through our years of doing travel therapy. I hope to think back and remember how much we enjoyed every single moment of this lifestyle. I hope to think back and be appreciative for each place we were able to live in and honor each one’s unique beauty, letting go of the trap of comparison. I hope to think back and be proud of myself for not letting the excitement of the future rob me of the joy and desensitize me to the beauty that I am experiencing right now. While it is beautiful to be excited and hopeful for the future, there is also beauty, discipline, and strength in being content with the present.

Here are a few ways we are practicing staying in the moment:

• Daily gratitude. Most mornings when I walk into work, I arrive right when the sun is rising. My job sits on a hill and faces east which provides the most gorgeous sunrises and view of Monterey’s bay, forests, and mountains. I know this is Gods way of telling me that He is here and He sees me. I always say a prayer of gratitude on my walk into work thanking Him for the sunrise and for the opportunity to work today. Gratitude changes your perspective on everything.

• Walks by the water. We try to make it to the ocean as often as we can and really enjoy taking our evening walks there. It allows us to talk about our day, decompress, and reminds us of how absolutely lucky we are to call this place home. We could have never dreamed of living 5 minutes from the ocean when we first got married.

• Designated times to discuss our future. This habit is a work in progress (especially when at your core you love to plan and daydream), but we find that when we schedule specific times to talk about our future plans it allows us to only give an allotted amount of energy to these topics. We are learning that always discussing our future robs us from enjoying our present.

We look forward to cherishing every last second of our time here in Monterey and are so beyond blessed to have been here for nearly 6 months. Here’s to staying in the moment, being present, and appreciating the beauty of your surroundings no matter where you are. If I have learned anything on this journey, it is that God is the master of creativity and has graciously given us so many types of beauty to admire and experience His goodness through.

With love,

The Wandering Wrights