Reverb10 Prompt #3: “Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year”

But what does it mean to feel alive?

Does waking up in the morning and breathing count? Seems a bit mundane.

Is it the thump, thump, thump coming from your chest that tells you you’re alive?

Or is it the butterflies that start beating their wings in your stomach when you feel that rush, rush, rush of life?

Pick a moment? Just one? There are so many life-filled moments how do I choose? how do you choose?

My first response was dancing in the rain at the Massive Attack concert. The yellow lights from the LED installation pounding on the back of my eyelids, as the music swelled, and swelled, and swelled, felt like the drums were inside my chest. The crowd’s arms in the air, the screams, the celebration – we are all here together, sharing this moment…

That thought was followed quickly by the memory of the moment I got out of the car, rushed across the parking lot of the funeral home and hugged my Uncles for the first time in five years. Feelings of so much love, love, love. Their arms around me, holding my shuddering body, they didn’t have to say a word.

Then there was that moment just last week when I opened the recent issue of Vancouver Magazine and saw my Dots! Mini bowls pictured on the table of contents – my heart in my throat, the warmth starting to spread over my cheeks, I let out a “Wow-weeeeeeee!” then wandered around the drug store with a goofy grin on my face, no one there to share my news with, except the cashier: “Why are you buying so many copies of this magazine?”

“Turn to page 30, those are my bowls!” he seemed happy for me.

There was also that moment, during the summer, at a party, on a neighbour’s balcony when the spicy-vanilla scent of Star Jasmine wafted over me and I was instantly transported back to June 6, 2003: Verona, Italy: 2,000 year old arena: seeing Bjork in concert for the very first time.

Then there were those stolen moments this morning: the blinds were still closed, the alarm had gone off, it was that time of day between sleeping and waking. Mark grabbed our Girls and put them in bed with me. Molly crawled under the covers, settled in right up against me, her head on the pillow next to mine and we spooned.

It was a wonderful way to wake up in the morning and breathe and feel alive.