My Holy Moment

Your Holy Moment

Have you ever experienced a moment in your life when you became one with the universe? A special moment, a natural high, or a singular sensation that took your breath away and and filled your heart with so much joy and wonder that you wanted to reach out, grab the world, and hug it? Most likely you have a had a few singular sensations; more if you're lucky.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow called these peak experiences. Stress researcher Joan Borysenko refers to them as holy moments, and indeed they are very special. Like Maslow, Borysenko is of the opinion that not only do we need to be more receptive to these experiences, but that we also need to occasionally remind ourselves of these events to help lend emotional balance to the negative experiences we encounter throughout our lives. Search your memory bank. What holy moment comes to your mind at the thought of this suggestion? Perhaps it was seeing a deer jump into a thicket of woods while you were jogging on a dirt road, or standing on a mountain top watching the sun reflect its crimson colors on a blanket of clouds near the horizon. Maybe it happened while making contact with a long-lost friend or hugging your favorite dog or cat after a really bad day.

Close your eyes for a moment and think back to a very special moment when you felt a profound, if not divine connection to the universe, with God, with humanity - a moment that transcended your everyday feelings and responsibilities. Try to recall the emotional sensation that you experienced with this event. Then open your eyes and try to recapture the event in your word processor in as much detail as possible.