Taking Prisoners

From a Facebook post by Marc Middleton of Growing Bolder, speaking about one of their video correspondents, Wendy Chioji … “She attacks life and takes memorable moments as prisoners.”

Now THAT is the way to live. Taking memorable moments as prisoners … what a great metaphor for living in a bolder way. So evocative and real in a unique way. And it does make you think about every moment ... any moment ... in your life. Every moment that could be a treasure, in hindsight if not right away. There is meaning and value in every moment, but your lifeline may have some spikes, some prisoners you will always cherish in a most special way.

What are the memorable moments we have in the “prison” of our mind? For me, here are just some of the prisoners I have … most are not dramatic, but I have them in my heart ... 

• Dressed in white always, growing up in Cuba
• Riding a train with my Dad on the way to my heart surgery
• Visiting my Dad in the hospital, after his heart attack
• Meeting my wife-to-be for the very first time
• Seeing my Mom’s pride at my college graduation
• Watching UCLA’s 87-game win streak end and storming the ND floor
• Seeing the King Tut exhibit in Chicago
• The Notre Dame fight song, played again and again at our wedding
• Moving to Greensboro and falling in love with our new life
• A secluded cove on Man O’ War Cay
• Writing in a journal for hours as my wife slept, waiting for our first baby
• Seeing my first son crying at the window as I left for work
• Watching the C-section birth of our third child, peeking over the barrier
• Our last baby, in a car seat on the floor with his siblings in wonder
• Living past my 49th year
• A zip line in Costa Rica for our 25th anniversary
• Exploring Chile and Argentina with my daughter and wife
• Surviving depression, one day at a time
• Sitting by a pool in Florida, talking about books
• The life-changing Emmaus experience on a Saturday night

I value those … and there are so many more in my past, and so many more yet to come. I want more prisoners before I’m gone, but I have had many so far. Think about your own prisoners … there are always so many you can appreciate, even if only hindsight ...