Stop and take it in!

Daily writing prompt

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

The best piece of advice I ever received came shortly before my wedding day way back in 2000. My cousin—well, he’s not really my cousin; his mom was a childhood friend of my mom, so we always referred to his parents as my aunt and uncle—was talking to me one day about the wedding and how I was feeling. I told him I was excited, which I was. I remember him telling me, “Rob, when you’re going through your wedding day, just remember to stop every now and then, take a look around, and take everything in. The day is going to go so fast.”

Now, PJ—as I will call him here for the sake of the blog—was married at the time, so he was speaking from firsthand experience. And he was absolutely right. Your wedding day goes by in a blur. Yes, you’re the main attraction, but there’s also a constant obligation to shake hands, say hello, and interact with everyone at the ceremony and the reception.

In a lot of ways, getting married is like hosting your own high-stakes party. But the core of that advice doesn’t only apply to weddings; it applies to any great situation in life. I’ve tried to carry that philosophy forward over the years.

Even as a younger man, I made a habit of anchoring myself to the sensory details of big moments, especially the music playing in the background. To this day, I can tell you not only the song, but whose cover of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” was playing the exact moment I proposed. Ironically enough, I also heard the original CCR version of that track the day I left South Carolina. That song has stalked me like a predator through the high and low points of my life, but I digress.

Nowadays, whether I’m out with both boys, taking in a Tigers game, or just sitting in a rare moment where life feels entirely right, I force myself to stop. I look around, pay attention to the weather, and get a feel for my surroundings. If I can’t hold onto every single detail, certain anchors stay with me forever.

Perhaps it’s just the universe and its uncanny sense of timing that this prompt popped up today. In a couple of days, something significant is going to happen—or at least I think it will—in a way that hasn’t happened for me in years. Maybe this prompt is a timely reminder to stop, take a look around, and try to genuinely bask in the moment this weekend, assuming the thing I’m anticipating actually unfolds.

That is the same advice I would give to you, my readers. When you’re in the middle of a major life experience, or just having one of those days where everything is going right with the world, stop. Take a look around. Take some little nuance of that day with you forever—the weather, the ambient noise, the soundtrack. Grab whatever you can and hold onto it.

Ferris Bueller was right: life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

I know for a lot of people, a scent or a smell will automatically transport them back to a specific moment in time. But I’ve never had a particularly sharp sense of smell, so I have to depend entirely on my other senses to pull my memories back to the surface.

Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Having crossed the 1,000-day milestone, I’m now charting the territory beyond. The mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.

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