I’ve had several perfect moments lately. Like eating the best french fries I’ve ever had – in my whole life – with the one person on the Earth who loves food as much I do. Or watching the most perfect of perfect sunrises and knowing you’ll remember it forever. Or having my four year old run inside, after a day of raking leaves with her daddy, and saying “Mommy, Mommy, the leaves are ready!” Ready for what, I asked. And she replied “Well, ready for jumping, of course!” Of course! How could I have forgotten that leaves are for jumping. I will remember her sweet face and the excitement in her voice, about what was, for her a perfect moment, for the rest of my life.
I remember a dinner date I once had, on a snowy December evening, when the restaurant’s windows were frosted over, the atmosphere was filled with the sense of happiness and conviviality that infuses the holiday season. I had on the perfect black dress, my favorite black boots and a vintage coat that is still to die for. I don’t remember what I ate (rare for me, I know), but I remember every other part of that magical evening. I remember I felt special. And beautiful. And loved. And in love. I didn’t end up sharing my life with that person, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not still a perfect moment. When I stop back to reflect on what was going on in certain stages of my life, that moment is often a perfect memory that I haul out, roll around in my mind, smile wistfully at and then put it back away.
Although he doesn’t know it, my step-dad, from whom I’d been estranged for many years, once provided me with a perfect moment. After spending the afternoon watching me interact with my then adolescent daughters, he looked at me and said “You really grew up good. You grew up to be a fantastic person and a great parent.” I’m pretty sure I waited what felt like my entire life to hear my dad ever say anything like that to me, and every now and then I replay them all over again in my head and revel in how wonderful they were. Especially coming from him.
And yet another perfect moment was recent. One of my little ones snuggled close to me, heaved a contented sigh and said “Mommy, you smell like ….. a MOMMY!” What more lovely compliment could she have ever given me? Yup, another perfect moment.
So, you see, we all have them. They probably happen more often than you even realize. And when they do happen, will you do yourself a favor and put them in a place where you’ll remember them? Etch them firmly upon your memory banks so that you can savor them forever – it only takes a moment. Life goes by blindly fast and, sometimes, it is those perfect moments that make it even more worth living. And I’m pretty sure that once we are all old and frail and maybe even forgotten, it might just be the ability to reflect upon and revel in those perfect moments that bring us happiness. What are your perfect moments?
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”