When Moments Are Frozen in Time
One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is ripping through our go-to Christmas movie lineup:
Elf
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
Christmas Story
Christmas Vacation
Rudolph
Frosty
Probably a few more I'm forgetting.....
These are movies I've seen dozens of times. When I'm watching them, I find myself obsessing about the tiny little details. Funny little accidents that probably weren't even planned. Some coincidence that happened while filming, and for whatever reason, it ended up in the final cut.
The scene in Elf when Will Farrell is gallivanting around NYC, engaging with strangers on the street. All of that was ad-libbed with actual strangers in the street. Totally raw, totally unexpected. But now, it's a moment frozen in time.
Another of my favorites is in Home Alone, when Kevin's mom is in Paris, talking to the Chicago Police Department on the phone. It's a ridiculous scene where the police transfer her back and forth between each other. When the man is talking to her, he's munching on a donut. Mid-conversation, a piece of the donut falls off and lands on his old-school phone receiver. Then, you can hear it plopping on the desk. I don't know why, but that silly little moment is seared into my memory bank.....and it's frozen in time.
That's a parallel for much of our lives. These little moments in life, while seemingly insignificant, can become seared into someone's memory. It reminds me of a note I received in the mail a few years ago. It was from a young man who wanted to tell his story about becoming debt-free and experiencing a life transformation. In it, he cited a conversation he and I shared in a canoe on a lake in the Boundary Waters as a moment that would become a turning point in his journey. He explained that my advice, encouragement, and confidence in him made a huge difference, ultimately leading him to make some life-altering decisions.
Here's the thing. While I remember sharing an experience with him in the canoe that day, I don't remember that particular conversation. I completely believe it happened, and his retelling sounds like something I would say, but that specific conversation doesn't ring a bell for me. But for him, it meant the world.
That's the power of moments that are frozen in time. We've all been on both sides of it. Similar to my young friend, I've shared stories with people about how XYZ conversation made a huge impact on my life. A moment that was seared into my memory. Yet, they didn't specifically recall it.
Remember this. As we're weaving our way in and out of people's presence each day, we never know when a moment will be created that will be frozen in time. We may not even know it's happening, but it is! What a crazy opportunity that gives us! All we need to do is be present, be uplifting, and be genuine. The rest will take care of itself.