Manatees, Memories, and Mom

Looking for Meaningful Connections and Savoring the Moment

When I was a little girl and we experienced something special, my mom would say, “Bottle up the moment.” I would watch her close her eyes, take a deep breath, smile, and soak it in. She would then say, “Take it all in. Engage your five senses to truly imprint this in your mind’s eye and soul.” Then she would open her eyes and look at us with an even bigger smile and say, “And when you have a bad day, you get to open up the bottle and experience the magic all over again.” Well into my adulthood, when experiencing something wonderful, we would only have to look at each other and say, “Bottle it up!”

What my mother was teaching me—without banging it over my head—was to just be. She was in the moment, showing me how to let time stop and appreciate what we had in front of us. This was my mother’s prayer, her gratitude. And I must say, it was truly a feat for her, since she was typically more of a human “doing” who lived in perpetual motion. Her squirrel energy was continually storing proverbial nuts for the winter. She rarely stopped, and even less seldomly sat down. She walked at a fierce pace, and with her long legs, I usually had to jog to keep up. Yet, those moments when she did stop, those are what is left imprinted on my heart. Those were the times when she looked the most beautiful and my love for her soared the highest. Since her mind was typically full of monkey-chatter, those moments were punctuation marks. They stopped the usual narrative and forced me to pay attention to the plot twist. She would transform and I observed as she let go of what no longer served her. She was an empty cup, ready to be filled with the beauty of the world.

For Christmas one year, I bought antique bottles with stars for toppers. One for my mom, and one for me. Today, I keep mine in a conspicuous place and it serves as my lovely reminder. I have a dear friend with whom I have a similar experience. We adore saying, “Savor the moment.” This is our way of doing the same. We stop, we breathe, we take it all in. My favorite thing to savor is the apricity of a Colorado winter’s day. The sun is just as warming to our souls as it is to our cheeks.

I must confess, I am one of “those” who take photos of every little thing that happens these days—and when I don’t, I feel disappointed to not have documented it. I completely understand that to be snapping pics takes me out of the moment. Yet, I feel this obsession, my own brand of FOMO, that if I don’t capture the moment, I will forget… and it will be gone. I currently have over 24,000 photos on my iPhone. What am I doing with them? Uh, busted! Not a lot. I suppose I do share some of these experiences on social media. I have heard that to share memories means we get to experience them twice. And if you are like me, your memories pop up on Facebook and you get to experience them all over again. Is this like my mom’s magic bottling up? For me, not quite. It misses the mark just a bit. I’m working on less photos and more presence. I think I know why.

Recently, I was lucky enough to get to spend some time in Belize. I went on an all day excursion to the best snorkeling spots that the second largest barrier reef in the world has to offer. I swam with a Caribbean reef shark, sea turtles, dolphins, an eagle ray, manta rays, and so much more. But the most incredible experience of all, was my encounter with a manatee. I did not just get to see her, I had a connection with her. Here is my thinking of how it was possible. I did not have a waterproof camera. I was not focused on documenting the experience. I was in the moment, feeling like I was at one with this beautiful creature. We swam together for a long while. We were side by side. She would alternately swim and then use her flippers (like hands), pushing herself along the ocean floor. She would surface for air and then we’d swim along again. She kept looking at me all the while. Finally, she turned to face me—I could almost touch her—and the world truly fell away. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. I was mesmerized. I will never forget her sweet puppy-like face. Why such a deep connection? I believe it was because I was not thinking about what came next—or, well, anything!—time stopped. No need to remind myself that I did not need a camera to remember this. I feel that the gift this manatee gave me was the reminder to be an empty vessel. We can only receive such gifts when we are in a state of flow and can just be. Was I bottling up that moment as it was happening? Was I savoring it? You bet your life! And no camera will ever capture it better than that.

The other day, I was taking a walk and saw a tree full of dead leaves—might I add, this was in December in Colorado. It struck me that this tree will not be ready for the new growth of spring without shedding the old. It was not lost on me that people are the same. If we do not cast off what no longer serves us, if our heads are filled with to do lists and agendas, we will not be ready for new growth—nor will we experience the moment or the beauty of the world. In other words, we must become an empty vessel. When we can shed what no longer serves us and let go—that is to free ourselves of the monkey-chatter and squirrel foraging—then we can we appreciate the moments and fully experience the art of being. This is when we connect with ourselves, nature, and others.

For me, the art and practice of yoga naturally brings all of these ideals: being in the moment, savoring beauty, connecting, letting go of what no longer serves us. My daughter and I went to yoga today. While in savasana pose, I emptied out all the yuck. I let go of my to do list and all the “stuff” which does not serve me. Then I took out my “bottle” and captured the sweet moment with my daughter. I felt the connection with myself, with her, and with all the souls in the studio. I think my mom was smiling down from heaven.

I hope you come on this Substack journey with me. Why Dragonfly WAYS? I am obsessed with dragonflies. And I am passionate about Writing, Art, Yoga, and Skiing—that’s the WAYS part. More to come about Dragonfly ways another time. Next article coming up: How Yoga Helps Skiing. I am so excited for this! It will be a series. My wish for all is to enjoy the slopes a bit more with some ski tips to make it easier. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading. I wish for you many beautiful moments to bottle up and hold in your heart. I promise the bottling method works better than a camera.