“Powder” by Tobias Wolff is a short story about a trip that a boy and his father went on. In this story, the boy’s perspective of the trip and of his father change. He goes from always thinking ahead and having to know what will be the result of what they are doing, to just living in the moment. He says “I stopped moping and began to enjoy myself. Why not? This was one for the books. Like being in a speedboat, only better.” He stopped worrying about what was going to happen when they got to the end of the road where the policemen were, but just enjoyed the moment with his dad because he didn’t know if he would get to spend time with him again. I think that this is a really important but hard lesson for people to learn. You can’t always be thinking ahead about what is going to happen or what you need to do next. If you do this, you miss great moments that you will remember as great memories. I think about this a lot when I teach dance because I can’t always be thinking about what homework I need to get done or what I have planned after, because I will miss the chance to make memories with these little girls.
I could relate to this story on a personal level as well because often times I find it extremely difficult to live in the moment and not worry about what tomorrow may bring. This story is a perfect example of how when you let go and allow yourself to become fully immersed in a moment you can truly begin to enjoy your life and the people in it. When the young boy finally allowed himself to stop worrying about getting caught he was able to truly enjoy his father’s company and the time they were spending together.
When I read the story I didn’t notice the “be in the moment” message but after reading your blog I see it. If your not in the moment then you can’t make memories.
I never noticed the “living in the moment” message of the story. I also enjoy the real life comparison you made with this.
I really like the idea of not looking ahead, because you miss out on “great moments” that become “great memories”
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