One Day Soon, We Are Going To Be Forgotten.

I’m sitting here in the airport lounge, waiting for my final flight back home to Hawaii following a two-week long European adventure with my chosen family. It’s been a mesmerizing trip, one filled with endless memories, connection-building, and world-traveling. As we’ve walked the streets of Venice, dipped our toes in Croatian lagoons, and bathed in Mykonos, I recognize my heart is filled with gratitude for my loved ones, the privilege I have to travel, and life itself.

My intention with this trip was to slow down through mindfulness to simply be present. I wanted to be cognizant of not working, and I wanted to soak in this time with my loved ones. My relationships are what’s most important to me in my life. I’ve recognized, over time, that I placed greater emphasis on my work, especially as a business owner, working to ensure the sustainability and security of my practice. Gratefully, I’m reaching a point where I’m able to take a deep breath, slow down for a moment, pause, and soak in my blessings and all that I’ve worked to build. In the process of building my practice, I’ve allowed some of my relationships to go to the wayside. Upon turning 30 this year, it’s setting in deeper that life is indeed temporary. And I could lose the people closest to me at any given moment. Of course, I never want that to happen, yet I also know that life is fragile, and I want to embrace all these moments I’m honored to have while I have them.

Thus, this trip was a practice in presence. Even more so, following a busy business-growth summer, I wanted to detach and take a break to recharge my mind, too.

As I sat on the Croatian coast, watching the locals move about their daily routine of hanging laundry, cooking meals, sweeping the porches, and listening to the birds, the stillness and simplicity of life washed over.

In our modern world, we can get so lost and swept away in the grind, the hustle, the day-to-day stressors. Everything feels important, everything feels stressful, and we frequently feel behind. Our go-go-go culture breeds a “never enough” mentality — never fast enough, never good enough, never successful enough (and I’m particularly reminded of this in the endless hustle-and-bustle of New York City where I’m writing this). 

Yet, one day, none of this is going to matter. No one is going to remember this moment. In 100 years from now, this moment will feel like it never existed. In 100 years, no one is going to know what brand of suitcase you had. In 100 years, no one is going to remember that you were late in sending that email. In 100 years, no one is going to remember the stress you experienced. In fact, in complete brutal honesty, in 100 years, it’s likely most people won’t remember you. I mean, how much do you really know about your great-great grandparents?

There’s a beautiful freedom in this harsh reality that one day, you’ll be forgotten. Honoring this notion that life is temporary, life is fleeting, and one day soon we’ll be a blip in the endless timeline that is the universe can bring us a feeling of liberation where nothing truly matters. It doesn’t matter how much money you make. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t respond to that text. It doesn’t matter if you took an extra nap. It doesn’t matter how productive you were. We’re all going to die, and we’re all going to be forgotten.

So, why not slow down, take a deep breath, soak it in, smell the roses, and enjoy the time that we do have? While training through Italy, I was peering out the window observing the Italian countryside. On a weekday morning, I saw everyday folks taking their dogs for long walks along their farmsteads under the partly sunny skies. Billowing corn fields danced adjacent to the century-old homes, and the pacing of life was slowed. It was as if time skipped a beat, and everyone was grateful it did.

Slowing down in Europe, having a beer at an English pub, working out across the Adriatic Sea, and having pizza in Venice helped me to recenter, refocus, and regroup. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to have taken this time with my loved ones, focusing back in on what’s important in life.

I encourage you to do the same. I absolutely recognize there is a privilege to do this. At the same time, no matter where you are in life, you can create moments of soaking in the here and now. 

Close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Ask yourself what’s important to you. No really, what’s genuinely important to you? There’s no right or wrong answer; rather, you simply want to find what’s true for you. If calmness and peace is important to you, amazing — go create it. If status is important to you, awesome — create your ideal life while you have the opportunity to do so. Regardless of what you find to be important, celebrate it, and enjoy it. Revel in it. Soak it in, knowing this moment is the only moment we truly have.

One day soon we are going to be forgotten. The world will move on without us. It’ll keep evolving into its next revolution, and we’ll be reborn into something new for our next life iteration. Until then, slow down. It’s okay to do so; you’re allowed. You can pause and breathe. You can touch the grass. You can take in the sky. You can simply be all who you are and everything you’ve never been yet. This is your life; enjoy it while you have it.

Thank you for being here, and thank you for being part of my life.

I can’t wait to continue sharing my story with you in hopes it’ll support you in yours.

Take good care, and I’ll see you again soon.

All my love,
Kevin