Life often feels like it passes in the blink of an eye. One day you are a child, the next you are standing in the middle of your career, and before long, you are watching new generations step into the future you once dreamed of. The days seem long, but the years are short. The truth is sobering: time does not wait, and life comes to us in moments—blinks, drops, fragments—that together form the ocean of our existence.
The question is not whether life moves quickly. It always has, and it always will. The deeper question is:
How do we live each blink, each drop, with fullness? How do we experience the wholeness of the ocean in every drop of time we are given?
This article is an invitation to explore what it means to live fully, one moment at a time—without rushing, without missing, and without waiting endlessly for “later.”
The blink of an eye
There is something paradoxical about time. On the one hand, a single minute can feel endless when we are in pain, waiting, or uncertain. On the other hand, decades can vanish in what feels like a moment when we look back. Life is fragile and fleeting, like the opening and closing of an eye.
Philosophers have long wrestled with this mystery. The ancient Greek thinker Heraclitus said, “You cannot step into the same river twice, for other waters are flowing on.” Each moment is unique, unrepeatable, passing through our fingers even as we try to grasp it.
To live fully is to embrace this truth—not to resist the flow of time, but to recognize that life’s meaning is found in how we inhabit each blink, not in how tightly we hold on.
Drops and oceans
The metaphor of drops and oceans reminds us of something profound. A drop of water is small, fragile, and fleeting. It evaporates quickly. And yet, every drop contains the essence of the ocean—the same molecules, the same taste, the same depth of mystery.
In the same way, each moment of life—however ordinary—carries the weight of the whole. Every conversation holds the possibility of eternity. Every smile can reflect infinite beauty. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, ripples outward into the larger story of our lives and the world.
If we can see the ocean in each drop, we begin to live differently. We no longer dismiss the small things as insignificant, but instead, we honor them as essential parts of the whole.
Slowing down to see
But how do we actually live this way in practice? The first step is to slow down enough to notice. Modern life is often marked by speed, distraction, and noise. We move quickly, multitask constantly, and rarely pause to see the sacred in the ordinary.
To live fully, we must resist the temptation to rush past the present moment. This does not mean abandoning responsibility or withdrawing from the world. It means learning to give our full attention to what is before us.
- When you drink your morning coffee, taste it fully.
- When you listen to a friend, listen with your whole self—not planning your response, not scrolling your phone, but really hearing.
- When you walk outside, notice the air, the colors, the life around you.
Presence transforms life. It takes what would have been a forgettable blink and turns it into something timeless.
Gratitude: The lens of fullness
If presence opens our eyes, gratitude shapes how we see. Gratitude is not about pretending life is always easy. It is about learning to receive life as a gift, even in its imperfections.
When we approach life with gratitude:
- A simple meal becomes a feast.
- A short conversation becomes a treasure.
- A small act of kindness becomes a seed of hope.
Gratitude allows us to experience the fullness of the ocean in each drop. It is the posture that reminds us: “This moment matters. This moment is enough.”
One practical way to cultivate gratitude is through daily reflection. At the end of each day, pause to name three things you are thankful for—no matter how small. Over time, this habit trains your mind and heart to notice the beauty that is always present, even in fleeting blinks.
Relationships: The fullness of shared life
Living each moment fully is not only about our inner posture; it is also about how we engage with others. Relationships are the context where the ocean of life becomes most tangible.
When we are with people we love—family, friends, colleagues—we are given opportunities to see and be seen, to hear and be heard, to share memories that outlast the moment itself.
To live fully in relationships means:
- Speaking love freely. Don’t wait for the perfect moment to say, “I appreciate you” or “I love you.”
- Reconciling quickly. Don’t let the sun go down on bitterness. Life is too short to carry grudges.
- Being present. Give your attention as the most valuable gift you have.
Every shared memory, every laugh, every tear adds to the ocean of life. And in each of these, the fullness of human connection is found.
Courage: Living beyond fear
Sometimes living each moment fully requires courage. Fear often keeps us from fully inhabiting life. We postpone dreams because we are afraid to fail. We withhold words because we are afraid to be vulnerable. We stick to comfort zones because risk feels dangerous.
But if life is lived in blinks, then every moment we hesitate is a moment gone forever. Courage does not mean the absence of fear—it means choosing to act with integrity and love despite fear.
Ask yourself: If today were my last blink, would I be glad I played it safe, or would I wish I had been braver?
Courage adds depth to life. It allows us to taste the fullness of the ocean rather than just skimming the surface.
Hope: Lifting our eyes beyond the blink
Finally, to live fully we must cultivate hope. Without hope, moments feel meaningless, like isolated drops that vanish. With hope, each drop connects to a larger story, a wider horizon.
Hope lifts our eyes beyond the present blink to the future we are building and the legacy we are leaving. It reminds us that our lives are not random but part of something greater.
Hope allows us to live each moment not with despair over its brevity, but with trust that each drop contributes to the ocean of eternity.
Living the ocean in each drop
So how do we live each moment to its fullness?
- By slowing down enough to notice.
- By cultivating gratitude for what is.
- By investing in relationships with love and presence.
- By choosing courage over fear.
- By lifting hope high for ourselves and those who come after.
Life is indeed a blink, but it is also an ocean. Every drop holds the fullness of beauty, meaning, and eternity if we have eyes to see.
So let us not waste our days waiting for “later.” Let us not skim over the surface of time, distracted and hurried. Instead, let us enter each moment deeply, like divers plunging into the sea, discovering that in every blink, in every drop, the ocean is already there.
Because life is not only about the number of blinks we are given—it is about how fully we live within each one.
DREIESKIVA|Roald Kvam 
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