Taylor O'Brien, The Writer.

So I think that I'm going to make it a Monday tradition to post some of my writing, either writings from the past or the present. Hopefully you will enjoy reading what I have to share. My style is pretty casual, forward, and informal. Enjoy.

"Chances Are It's Temporary, Embrace It"
---I’m drinking a sierra mist and eating some sun chips. Sitting at work. Doing absolutely nothing once again. **wipes cheesy fingers on pants** anyways, I think I’ll write to pass some time once again. I was talking to Sara last night over a fine piece of cancer, and she brought something to my mind that I had never thought about before. Now it’s not anything amazing or inspiring, but just one of those things that makes you stop and think…hmmm, I never thought about that. She asked “ Do you ever wonder how many random strangers you have seen twice in your life?” or “Isn’t it weird to think that when you pass a complete stranger, walking, or driving, that you will never see them again before they die?” Now I know that it’s something that is pretty pointless to think about, for the fact that you will never know if you did see them twice, or three, or four times. You will never know. You won’t. But still, it got me thinking**takes a drink of soda**….**chokes on soda**…**Coughs**. Ok that was unnecessary, none of that stuff actually happened in these last two sentences, but I guess it would have been cool if it had.
---Anyway, after thinking about all of the people I have seen, and will not ever see again before they die, I started to think about all of the other things in life I see a time or two before they are dead or I am. Ok I may get a little hippy on you here, but think of a beautiful leaf that you see in the autumn, you see it once, you admire it, and then you walk on and will never see that same leaf ever again. The cloud in the shape of an elephant, yup, it’s gone, and you’ll never see it again. A beautiful sunset. Take it in for all of its glory because you will never see that same exact sunset twice. I’m not even getting into snowflakes, because that’s cliché far beyond the extremely cliché bullshit I already am writing about here. But I think there is something to it. If you think about all of the things in life that you will never have the opportunity to witness again, or all of the people that you pass on a daily basis that you will never have the chance to interact with, I think it creates an appreciation for the temporary and in-the-moment experiences that we have in life. If you know something is provisional, chances are you will take more time to hold onto and embrace it, knowing you will never witness it again.
---Another thing to consider... Live music. Live performance. Anything that falls under the category live is truly momentary. A speech, a sporting event, or a religious experience, all of which are passing and in the moment experiences, should be considered an art that cannot be repeated exactly the same ever again. I was taught that theatre is an art, but not until it is being performed in front of an audience does it truly become an unforgettable art form. The temporary interaction and the relationship between the viewer and the performance are what take a live show to a level far beyond another rehearsal. This brief and momentary witnessing of events should be embraced for all it provides. When witnessing a musical live on Broadway in New York City a few years back, I was so caught up in the night, the newness of it all, that I forgot to really soak up all aspects of the show. I forgot to look beyond the surface aesthetics into the heart of the production. So many times you hear someone being asked, “How was the show” and they a simple response of “good” or “bad”. This is unfortunate.
---This is the same situation with many other aspects of life when being asked to look back on or expand upon. How was your day? Good. How was your trip? Great. But when I ask, How was your life? If I get a simple “good” or “bad” someone will die, seriously. Life is in so many ways a completely temporary and live performance of sorts. So many of life’s occurrences are just like an extremely intricate and detailed monolog, and in front of an audience you have a chance to make a lasting impression and a memorable expression of emotion, or freeze up and fall apart on stage. Life is a single chance, a single opportunity, to make a lasting impression and embrace all of the little and temporary events that make this in the moment experience of life all that it can be. I want to start interacting with life in a way that is yes, temporary and in the moment, but also appreciative and admiring of life and all of its beauty. I want to immerse myself into each new experience and, like a sponge, soak up every last drop of the life I was given. Cliché? Yes. Bullshit? Probably.