Reverb 10Reverb 10 is underway. What is Reverb 10?

“Reverb 10 is an annual event and online initiative to reflect on your year and manifest what’s next. Use the end of your year as an opportunity to reflect on what’s happened, and to send out reverberations for the year ahead.”

A great concept. A great opportunity to think and learn.

Today’s reverb is: Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

I read this before driving to work this morning. As I was listening to Christmas music, deep in thought, there were suddenly flashing lights behind me. A speeding ticket. The day at work was non-stop, little time to put words together about the moment which I felt most alive this past year. Now, at about 6:30 pm, I am going to jot it down. Time passes us by so quickly, and taking the opportunity to soak in a moment warms the soul.

During this summer on a family vacation, we took some time to drive along the California coastline – Big Sur. The views are dramatic as they are renewing.

As we were leaving our grandparent’s home, a few recommendations were given on where to stop for lunch. Ventana was one. It was the ideal one.

Ventana - Big SurThe minute you pull into the parking lot, a calmness sets in and your breaths are deeper and more relaxed as you exit the car. Here we are – wife and two sons, heading into a place which never existed to us moments ago. As we entered the restaurant, the tables were all neat but empty. The ambience was that of a lodge, a well-appointed one. Immediately, we were directed to the outdoor terrace where the views were stunning – solid blue skies, grand mountain views, and the Pacific off in the distance.

To be honest, I don’t remember much of our conversation, but all was good. We were a family, laughing, enjoying the view, talking, and soaking it all in. With crispy calamari as an appetizer and Big Sur burgers for the kids, the food itself did not really matter. Each of the tables had couples or families, all relaxed, breathing in each other’s presence and all that was around us.

Why was this an “alive” moment for me? It was a moment when all distractions went away. What is important in life was centered on the beauty of the Big Sur and the conversations with the people most important. It seems like a surreal moment now and one which needs to be captured more often in life.

As 7:00 pm now approaches, it is time to leave this moment and return to the dark, concrete streets. With this past moment alive in my memory, the drive home will be calm and, as I enter the door, our home and my family there will deliver that spark of what is so important in life.