It was 10 at night. Hubby and I were driving down an almost deserted freeway. The radio was playing some melodious numbers from  old hindi movies. Looking out of the window, I saw  lush greenery on either side of the road offering some much needed romantic touch to the entire atmosphere.  To add to it, hubby and I were chatting comfortably, without arguing over any matter! The  entire scenario stirred an emotion  within me which I hadn’t felt in a long time. How long had it been since we had enjoyed a conversation, or even the comfortable silence between us? Ages! And, that’s when I had this irresistible urge to just grab that moment and never let it go!
How often we experience such moments which we feel we could hold onto forever?  Moments we share with our family, our friends, or even with ourselves, that leave us with a feeling of euphoria. Moments, that we treasure as we would our precious jewels, cherishing them for days on end, specially, on days when life leaves us feeling gloomy or hopeless. Moments, that act as a balm on our wounded souls, giving us some much needed strength to keep moving ahead.
That night, as I tried to soak in that breathtakingly beautiful moment, I wondered how it would be if I tried gathering every bit of it and held it tight into my clenched  fist; it would stay with me forever! But, the next instant I realised how, if I tried holding  onto something so fiercely, it would all just slip away, like the sand that slips out through the  gaps between your  fingers when you hold it in your fist. I realised I had to just live in that moment and preserve it in some safe place within my heart. Preserve it so  I can  reminisce about it in some distant future, to gather courage during times of distress when life changed her colours.
There are  things each one of us cherishes that have stories attached to it; a moment that held promise of a beautiful future, or a blessing from one’s parents.  And, these cherished things could be anything: a piece of jewellery, or an artefact, an item of clothing, or even a rose, pressed in between the fading pages of an old book. But, the memories attached to these things are the same; memories of love and laughter, of happiness and joy that strengthen our belief that life is, indeed,  beautiful!
As for me, I cherish moments; moments that leave me feeling on top of the world; those that  fill my heart to the brim with boundless happiness and with a renewed enthusiasm to move ahead in life. Those are the moments that will stay with me always, fill my days with hope and restore my faith during the scary nights. And, these are what I will cherish, forever and ever!

What is it that you cherish?

* This is my post for the Cherished Blogfest 2016.