Skate across America Day 7: I Am this Moment

Oct. 10, 2010

Bensalem, PA to Philadelphia, PA
Total Distance for Day: approx. 18 miles
Total Distance for Trip: approx. 123 miles

Today, I experienced an altered state of consciousness that I feel I must share with you. I can’t explain exactly how or why it happened, so I won’t try. What I will do is describe exactly what happened. I was skating south down Business Route 1 just outside of Philadelphia. Now you must first understand that skating on this particular portion of the road was a bit nerve-racking, as traffic was coming at me pretty quickly, and there was no shoulder. I’ve become pretty accustomed to skating in situations like this, but it’s not really my favorite thing to do.

Here’s the interesting part: at one point, for just about 15 seconds, I felt absolutely no fear. When I say no fear, I mean I had no concern about physical danger, the past, the present, or the future. This was strange, because the cars were still coming toward me just as quickly, and the danger was still there. Somehow, only that moment existed, and everything there simply was and followed its course. If you’ve ever seen The Matrix, you probably remember the moment at the end when Neo is able to see the code of the matrix for what it is and change it as he sees fit. That’s about the closest example I can give you to explain my experience. It was as if I could distinguish the exact path of every object in the moment, and I knew that it was fine. I was not separate from anything then, and nothing was separate from me. I was that moment, and that moment was all that could possibly matter or exist.

I remember feeling a less intense version of this when running down a mountain in Switzerland and while skydiving, but this was so far beyond any of it. I’ve never felt so unrestrained, so empty of fear, or so free. I hope that you will experience just one moment like this in your life, because it will change you forever. After a moment like that, nothing could prevent you from seeking another, and another, and another, until your entire life becomes a string of inescapably full, clear, and free moments. Tell yourself: I am this moment.