On my wedding day I woke up about 4:30 or 5 am. I laid in bed for a little while, wrote a line or two in my journal, tried to read or peruse a magazine. Then I just laid there staring at the wall thinking, which is one of my favorite pastimes. I was excited but I don’t think I was jittery or nervous. Actually the opposite–I think I was quite at peace.
Around 6, I drove to Starbucks to get a coffee, a muffin and some alone time. The town was quiet, there was no traffic. I sat at a stop light just because it was red, not because there were other cars that needed to go. There was peace. The sun was just coming up.
I was one of a few people at Starbucks that Saturday morning. My order was the same as the day before: tall skim latte, apple bran muffin, grande ice water. I finished one last note and then stared out the window. There wasn’t much to see. The Starbucks is in the middle of a shopping center and it was so early that there weren’t even any people to watch, just a near empty parking lot. But to me, on that morning, I saw a beautiful day. A day that would be filled with love and family and friends, and dreams coming true. I probably sent Mike a good morning message telling him how excited I was to marry him.
And the then I drove back to my mom’s. I drove singing along, maybe dancing a bit. The Black Eyed Peas song “Just Can’t Get Enough” was playing and I sang and danced along.
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After pictures, Mike and I took some time to relax and spend time just the two of us before the rush of the reception. We had a blanket set up in the grass and a plate of hors d’oeuvres and drinks brought to us. It was a beautiful day. I remember sitting, shoes off, looking out over the grounds of the Castle and the feeling the breeze blowing past us. It was so peaceful and another great opportunity to take in the love and joy of the day.
My morning at Starbucks and the time we spent having a picnic were some of my favorite moments of my wedding day, when I had the opportunity to just take it all in and appreciate the moment.
During our wedding planning Mike and I made a point to schedule down time into the plan so we could relax and enjoy the day a little bit. I’m so glad we did. It really allowed us to appreciate it all, it slowed the day down a little bit, and gave us a chance to catch our breath and stop and say “isn’t this amazing.”
Thinking about it recently, I think this is something I want to implement in my life going forward. What’s the point of creating an amazing life if we don’t have time to take it all in while it’s happening? Sure, it’s nice to look back on things and think about how fun they are. But I think a little appreciation in the moment can really go a long way.
So I’m scheduling things in now, times that we can plan to slow down and take it all in. So far, I have a new recipe once a week. I also like naps and laying in bed on weekends just looking out the window and daydreaming.
I’ll share some more ideas once I have them.
What do you like to do to slow down and take it all in?