Where do you store your memories? Are they only located in the deep recesses of your mind or is there a location in your home where trinkets, ticket stubs, and photographs are carefully stored in a personal treasure chest? What criteria did you use to keep only those specific items when you probably had a wide array of memorabilia to choose from? Perhaps those precious relics where chosen because they recreate an emotional Moment of Impact for you. Most likely the impact was the result of a relationship you encountered with someone God directed into your life or a milestone reached through hard work and dedication.
Recently, my sister and I ventured into my attic in search of the 1989 Munford High School yearbook. Searching among the stacks of plastic tubs (all labeled and organized), we came across the green one containing a few treasures from high school that did not fit into the scrapbook albums on my shelves. After popping the lid to peer inside, I was forced to remove stuffed animals which lay on top of the yearbooks. Removing the white teddy bear wearing the pink shirt, I experienced a Moment of Impact, thinking back to friendships and moments that seem more like yesterday than 30 years ago. Retrieving other items, I pondered, “Why on earth did I keep this?” At some point those items had some meaning or they would not have survived the move from Munford to Jackson or from one house to another. But with passing time, their memories were lost.
Why is it that some experiences in our life create significant Moments of Impact while others seem to be lost in the Mundane and the Monotonous of life? Find an answer to solve that riddle and you might just become a millionaire! As I journey to navigate the pilgrimage of a person’s life, studying the various Seasons of Life and how they impact our definition of flourishing, I am continually amazed at the wealth of research related to this topic. Particularly fascinating are the interviews with individuals nearing the end of their time on this earth and where their mind travels when asked about their personal Moments of Impact. Do they feel the weight of those trinkets from their treasure chest in their hands as their minds journey back in time?
Addressing the issue of Defining Moments as defined by Heath and Heath in The Power of Moments, my mind fills with wonder over whether or not we can cultivate or create a habit of “moment spotting” in order to enhance Moments of Impact. Although many of these occurrences are connected to specific milestones on the journey of life, I’m in agreement with the authors that “we must understand when special moments are needed. We must learn to think in moments, to spot the occasions that are worthy of investment.” Are we missing opportunities to help craft and create defining moments?
As an educator continually seeking methods to enhance student learning during the college experience, I might dream that a student sitting in Bowld 247 during a course on sport finance would experience a Moment of Impact that changes the trajectory of their life; however, the reality is that the Moments of Impact they will remember from their college days will be the friendships and relationships formed during this Season of Life more than the content I shared on how to create a budget! But that does not release me from the obligation to cultivate a Habit of Awareness where I am regularly searching for experiential learning activities that have a greater impact than perhaps listening to a lecture. So, I will put out a BOLO (be on the lookout) for Moments of Impact which just might lead to a Defining Moment for an emerging adult so that at the end of their life, they have favorable memories of their time at Union. Because the reality is that many of their “most memorable experiences are clustered in their teens and twenties.”
Returning to the opening question, I would love to hear in the comments below about some of your Moments of Impact, whether these defining moments are stored only in your memory or you still have a trinket that links you to a previous moment in time. I’ll add more to this conversation in Pits, Peaks, and Transitions, but in the meantime, take the opportunity to travel down Memory Lane to visit a few precious memories of your own. I’ll be pulling off the bookshelf a scrapbook or two to make a few trips down the lane myself.
References:
Flourishing @ Life 
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