Making Memories

There are memories we all acquire in life that are surprising, because they are unplanned and ordinary. They are snippets of moments that occur in our day-to-day lives and reappear in our minds at unexpected times. I remember, for instance, staying after school to finish an art project in fourth grade. I can vividly see the afternoon sunlight slanting through the smudgy windows of the classroom onto my paper mosaic of California. I remember my cousin's hysterical Halloween costume from eighth grade--a green shirt and jeans (he was a can of peas). I laughed for hours.

And then there are the memories we make with wide eyes and bated breath. The moments we live through knowing that we will remember them for the rest of our lives. My first kiss. My first day of high school. My junior prom. All those moments that we experience, all the while thinking, "I will remember this for the rest of my life."

I feel as though every second I live through here in Israel is one of those latter moments. I am endlessly on the precipice of an adventure; I am waking up every morning eager to begin and going to sleep exhausted because I experience every moment to its full capacity. I am practically afraid to blink because I do not want to waste any time closing my eyes in a place so new and exciting. I live every day excited for what is ahead, in the next minute, hour, week. I am, for the first time, living my life to the absolute fullest. Refusing to take for granted a single moment. It's the way I should always approach life, and I hope I can take the endless wonderment and joy back with me after this summer.

I am currently anticipating another two days of these beautiful moments. Tomorrow, I go to Jerusalem and on Friday, I head to Masada to hike up a mountain and watch the sun rise over the Dead Sea. If you'd told me five years ago that I'd have these opportunities and that I'd be travelling the world at nineteen, I would have wistfully but firmly denied such dreams. I've always dreamed of these journeys and adventures, but I never actually believed in myself or my determination enough to think I'd see such dreams through so early in my life. I'm infinitely grateful that fourteen-year-old Aubrey was incorrect. And I'm unbelievably proud of myself for proving her wrong.

And so, as I continue my Israeli adventures on this side of the globe, I vow to push my homebody identity to the fringes and to explore, experience, and enjoy--and maybe blink, like, once every five minutes or so.

Much love,
Making the Most of Every Moment Aubs