A few days ago I was feeling emotional. I was thinking about how much I missed my dad. Having him around, being able to give him a hug, talking to him about what I thought I wanted to do with my life. I miss his presence here. My dad passed away five years ago and ever since then I’ve learned something. Something super simple but important for our happiness in life- to stop and take the time to enjoy the little things. <3

One memory I have of my dad is when I was seven or eight, We would be in our backyard swinging on our hammock (fun! I miss it!) and as we were there swinging my dad would tell me stories about his childhood back in El Salvador. I remember loving every minute of our talks. I would enjoy being their present with him without a care in the world. There was no rush about needing to be somewhere, having to check my facebook every so often, nope, there was none of that back in those days.

Have you seen the movie Inside Out? Love that movie! In the movie, it talks about how the main character has what they call “core memories.” The core memories are memories that have been  ingrained in her mind. She will have them forever. I love knowing that the memory of my dad and I relaxing on our hammock in the backyard is one memory that will be with me forever.

At the end of our lives, it won’t matter the number of followers we had on Instagram, how many times someone retweeted us, how many friends we have on Facebook…etc. When we get to the essence of life I think relationships are one of the most important things we have. Don’t forget to disconnect from your devices and connect with the people around you. Especially your family. We all know that we tend to take the people closest to us for granted more often than others since we expect them to always be there.

With the busy lives that we all live let’s not forget to also take the time to breathe and take in the beauty of this world. Right now guys more than ever we need this reminder. If you’re feeling stressed our overwhelmed go outside, take a walk, get some Vitamin D!  Enjoy nature, we can learn so much from it. When was the last time you actually sat outside and simply gazed at the cute puppy walking past by you, the adorable baby smiling at you or the intricate colors in the flowers next to you? Each of those things are simple things in life that we can all take joy in witnessing.

Chatting with a friend during a morning jog, laying in bed next to my mom laughing our heads off over some random thing, or conversating with my boyfriend, as we talk about our vision for our lives. Those are the moments in life that I will remember.

What will you remember?

Thanks so much for reading and remember as the famous quote says:

“Enjoy the little things in life, because one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.”

Wishing you happiness, success and a lifetime of bliss!