Ooohs and Aaahs is an editorial piece written by Kelli J. Gavin and shared with The Ugly Writers for the month of June
Ooohs and Aaahs
Jay Long is an amazing poet and writer. He explores the human condition, feelings of loss, and utter devastation. He also describes love, longing, and the desire for what is yet to come as no one else does. He isn’t afraid of what he feels or thinks, and doesn’t shy away from aching emotions that often threaten to overwhelm him.
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Eternal Echos- Enjoy the moments, they’re hidden between the ooohs and the aaahs.
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One simple sentence that I have been stuck on for days. Every day, there is joy, laughter, and tears. There are so many things to do, and not enough time to do them. Often, we get so wrapped up in what is to be accomplished, we find ourselves more focused on what’s next rather than the right now.
There are moments when the busyness takes hold, days that never seem to end. Where we find ourselves asking for a do-over, wanting to just end this day in its tracks and just go to bed. How is this possibly a day well lived? When do you wish for it to cease? Wishing for it not only to be over but to have never happened in the first place.
Then there are the amazing ooohs and aaahs. Surrounded by family or friends, we explore this amazing world, enjoy the final days of summer, walk until we can not walk any further, and sit by fires we wish would never go out. We witness friends committing their lives to each other as they marry, and we giggle at furry friends as they play with children. We hold hands, curl up close to the one we love, and lean into each other as a new day approaches.
The hidden moments seem to be more apparent than the oooh and aaah times in our lives. Those moments are also meant to be experienced and enjoyed and treasured. Sometimes difficult, sometimes heart-wrenching, often unwanted. Those moments are still a part of our lives. Those moments when all placed next to each other are what define us. Those lows or those uneventful moments are meant to be enjoyed, savored, explored, and eventually welcomed.
Those moments are often quiet, solitary, and trying. But still, we need to welcome, nurture and cultivate them. If we live in those in-between moments, if we find joy in those moments, we won’t shy away from them the next time they approach. We will no longer wish for the day to end and long for a new one to begin. When we live our lives with the expectation of the next oooh, the next aaah, we take for granted the moments in between.
I am thankful for the moments. The in-between. Sometimes the lack of ooohs and aaahs are exactly what we need to then be able to appreciate the spectacular even more.
Read more from Kelli J. Gavin by visiting her site here or by checking out her previous entries:
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