Written February 2023, Tahiti, French Polynesia
There are moments in life that remind you what it truly means to be alive—simple, fleeting instances that hold more meaning than we often realize. Being lulled to sleep by the waves against the hull, waking up to the sound of palm leaves whistling in the wind, drinking my coffee beneath the gentle morning sun, seeing my skin turn darker and my hair lighter, noticing myself laugh aloud, falling in love with people and places, viewing life with an immense amount of wonder once again. Feeling attached to nothing and connected to everything.
It’s in these moments—the quiet, ordinary ones—that I feel most alive. Not when I’m chasing something, not when I’m checking off a list of accomplishments, but when I’m simply here, absorbing the world as it is, without expectation or demand. And I realize: I am lucky. Not lucky in the material sense, but lucky in the way that matters most—I feel alive, and I don’t take that for granted.
The Illusion of Luck
But here’s the thing: this kind of luck isn’t rare. It’s not reserved for a specific kind of life or a perfect set of circumstances. It’s available to anyone who is willing to be present enough to notice it. And yet, so many of us are distracted, always looking ahead to the next goal, the next destination, the next version of ourselves. We keep moving the finish line, convinced that happiness exists somewhere beyond where we are now. We tell ourselves that once we get the promotion, find the right person, or move to a new city, then we will be fulfilled.
But what if fulfillment isn’t something we have to chase? What if it’s something we have to allow?
Using Your Reality to Cultivate Gratitude
Gratitude, I’ve found, is less about what you have and more about how you see. When you practice a high degree of presence—when you stop resisting where you are and instead let the world flood your senses—it’s almost impossible not to feel your skin prickle with gratitude. The warmth of the sun on your face, the rhythm of your breath, the way music can make your chest tighten—these are the things that remind us we are here, we are alive, and we are enough.
You gotta use the reality that surrounds you. You gotta let your spirit dance in the moonlight. You gotta let your soul be touched and even scorched sometimes. You gotta stop wanting to go somewhere else, to achieve something more, to be someone else. Because when you do, you miss the life that is already unfolding in front of you—the one that is quietly asking to be noticed, to be lived fully, right now.
Embracing This One Little Life
We only get this one little life. This tiny, fleeting, unpredictable life that could very well end at any given moment. And if we’re not letting the simple act of living be the truest, deepest, most extraordinary experience we ever have—what the hell are we doing?
So yeah, I feel lucky. Not because everything is perfect or because I have everything figured out, but because I know what it means to be here. Because I can stand in the middle of an ordinary day and still feel my heart swell with wonder. Because I have stopped waiting for life to happen and started noticing that it already is.
And that’s the real question, isn’t it?
When was the last time you felt lucky to be you?
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