Big Eye Moments

Did I make up the term? Yeah, pretty sure. But the feeling is anything but made-up. Whatever you call them in your life, big eye moments come sporadically and unexpectedly. The experience itself is over in seconds, but the impact lasts years - even a lifetime. It's hard to describe and I imagine it's a bit different for everyone. For me it shows up when I least expect. A sudden rush of adrenaline and serotonin, delivering a tidal wave of euphoria and excitement that makes me feel as though I'm on the verge of understanding the impossible. It is wildly invigorating and, at its best, personally transformational.

For me, big eye moments are usually linked with travel and the new, exhilarating experiences that often come with adventure. I was a kid when I first experienced it. I was on a road trip with my family and we were somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. It was that magic evening hour when the sun has almost set and everything around you is a dark silhouette. All you can see are the crisp edges of shapes against the darkening yet vibrant deep blue sky. I don't remember why we pulled off the road, but I do remember scampering off to explore a bit nearby. I ran up to the edge of a small lake that was tucked away from the road amidst the woods. As I approached the water's edge, the tree line opened up and suddenly my eyes were filled with the immensity of the panoramic view in front of me.

I remember the water, still as glass, reflecting the sharp shadows of towering pines along the perimeter of the lake - doubling my view of the world's glowing sapphire canvas. I froze there, looking up and all around. My eyes feeling full to the brim, like they might overflow, opening wider and wider to gather as much light as possible before the sun set and the moment was over. I stood there, motionless. I said no words. I thought no distracting thoughts. I just tried to absorb as much as I could. It was hypnotic and thrilling all at once. This moment when my eyes felt like they might overtake my whole body... it pulled me into a sense of awe that I didn't want to leave.

A similar moment I captured before snorkeling Silfra, a fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park in Iceland.

Since that memorable experience as a kid, I have continued to seek out more of these hidden treasure moments. One of my most memorable big eye moments happened years later during a trip to Iceland with my husband and two dear friends. Iceland is a stunning place with wild and varying larger-than-life landscapes. Some of the most incredible sights to see there are the immense waterfalls. We were trekking across southern Iceland and one of these waterfalls, Skógafoss, was one of our first stops. We eagerly hiked the mud, stone, and metal grate steps up to the cliff's edge so that we could venture out onto the observation deck and look down over the raging water. It was amazing and we wanted to see more. We continued up the cliff's edge to the top of the falls, climbing a little further toward the rapids above. Soon, my feet stood inches away from a roaring river - water tumbling over the ledge in front of me and plunging down to the rocks below. Sheep easily traversed the craggy, moss-covered mountaintop across from me while large, slow clouds loomed overhead. Sunlight slipped through between two clouds and illuminated the grassy plateau yawning eastward. I could hear the rushing of wind and water and little else. The panorama filled my eyes and quieted my thoughts, just like it had at the edge of the quiet lake years prior.

Then began a whirlwind inside. I felt a burst of energy escape my heart and suddenly it was as though I was outside of myself. Emanating outward. A strange and wonderful intermingling: me + world. I felt deeply how insignificant I am - but it didn't make me sad. I sensed how open and part of everything else I can be - and it didn't make me scared. I felt like I was floating, glowing from the inside-out. As the rush began to settle, my mind hurriedly tried to zip the memory up tight. And I had this important feeling that something had shifted in me. That, whether or not I always remembered the vista at the top of this waterfall, this experience had become a part of my personal growth story. I felt more connected to the world I wanted to live in and closer to the person I wanted to be.

Whether you call them Big Eye Moments or something else, travel gives us access to these rare pockets of inspiration in ways that regular day-to-day life does not. For all the beauty of everyday life, there is something important about these kinds of travel experiences that supercharge our insides and give us heightened awareness of who we are and who we want to be. And although that's not a "place" we can, or should, live all the time - if we just let the thrill of adventure sweep us up in its momentum, we can catch these glimpses of inspiration every now and then. It's rare, but valuable - and worth the hunt! Like hidden treasure, we can't know it's there until we venture out and stumble across it.