Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about memories. Whenever I reminisce about my past, a movie plays in my mind. The winning shot, the first time, the speeding ticket, the all-nighter. I realized that our past is really a bunch of little moments that replay in our mind.
I think it’s important to plan for memorable moments rather than leaving them to chance. Each day is an opportunity to make new memories and share them with friends, family, and soon-to-be friends and family. Because our lives are really just a collection of moments, we should spend time and energy creating more of them.
Think in terms of creating structures in your life that encourage different situations with different people. While you can’t really plan for pleasant (or unpleasant, for that matter) surprises, you can create environments that increase your chances for having them. One example of how many of us do this already is when we travel. Travelling is ripe with opportunities for having memorable moments. Around every dark corner, every luggage line-up, every foreign language barrier, and every broken down air-conditioning system is a moment waiting to arise that you and your fellow traveller will share as a special bond.