I love going to the track and racing one of the prepped cars that Cadey and I own.
Last night at a wedding reception, a member of my extended family asked, "Why?" Not why in the "sounds cool why not" sense but more, "Why would you ever?!"
I have explained it by saying that above 130 miles per hour, the world slows down.
It does. The intensity of the moment reveals a vivid clarity and peace, even with the driving workload.
When I am in a harness looking out through the shield of my helmet, each movement that happens in a fraction of a second is vivid and intense. The lift off the accelerator, heel-toe downshift, hard braking, setting up the car to dive into a turn, flirting with the perfect apex then pushing the accelerator to launch the car out of the turn on the edge of control, then the rapid up shift and on to the hunt for the next entry and apex. It can be overwhelming, but when everything is done right, the feeling is amazing.
I feel alive.
There is a difference between living and existing. I don't believe life was meant to "get through" or "survive." I have never understood hump day or TGIF -- for me every day is ready cash that I am going to spend.
Life is a gift, an opportunity and an infinite possibility.
I believe we all create our own vivid moments of intensity. Maybe for you it is a perfectly struck golf ball, a presentation that hits the exact mark, this morning's run when everything came together, watching your child's recital and wanting to be nowhere but where you are or, like me, when you see your spouse from across the room and your heart skips a beat.
For each of us, these moments are different; however, there is one constant, we don't have to wait for them to happen, we can create them. And when we do, instead of just letting them pass, we can intentionally recognize them, and we can make the choice to chase them down and make them happen everyday, over and over. If we purposefully string enough of them together with intention, our lives become what they were meant to be: a rich vivid tapestry of peak experiences that not only leave us fulfilled but excited, alive and ready for more. Not an existence where we count the days until the middle of the week, then count the minutes until the week is over.
The choice is ours. We can "make it through" or choose to look for the opportunity in each day, interaction, activity and moment. It may take a bit at first however once you activate your search for intensity and opportunity, they will be there and everywhere.
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