Until recently, I tended to appreciate moments rather than everything that led up to the moments. While the moment itself is a fantastic memory and is what you are ultimately working for, the road there is just as essential, if not more. How you get to where you want to be is a major step in getting to what you will one day remember and cherish. The people you meet, the moments you share, and the people you share those moments with, are all part of the rollercoaster you don't want to get off of to the memory.

Over the summer, I was working on a project for a friend of mine, who throws awesome parties that are drug and alcohol-free fun for all. This year, he wanted to set the record for Long Island’s largest water balloon fight. Obviously, one person can’t fill up TEN THOUSAND water balloons, so he enlisted the help of me and other friends of his. The other friends were people that I didn’t know or unintentionally hadn't hung out with before by chance. It’s not that the ones I hadn't normally hung out with aren’t good people, it was that our paths never crossed with the exception of one or two of them who were in my classes or on the football team. Luckily this past summer the paths crossed when we were all working in the “water balloon factory.”

My friend Kash has created his own party business called “KashProject”. He is the mastermind behind the water balloon fight. Now, before I continue, there are a few things you must know about Kash. He is one of the most personable people I have ever met, he always is smiling, and he is friends with practically everyone. This helped me realize that the journey matters, as during the journey friendships are made along the way. He called in his backup to work to fill all the water balloons, a group including a few kids in the grades below me along with those kids in my classes I mentioned earlier. We would typically start at noon, filling water balloons in Kash’s backyard, all of us talking and getting to know each other better. There were multiple occasions where I stayed until 1 in the morning filling water balloons. I ultimately got to know the rest of the group pretty well as we all became friends, ultimately being labeled by Kash as the “KP Fam.” That’s what happens when you spend days with new people, working towards a collective goal

One of the many lessonsI learned from the experience is to enjoy the little moments. The moments where it's 1AM and you are filling up hundreds of water balloons, laughing and having fun in a situation you could never have imagined yourself in. Like driving around with new people, yelling out to pedestrians walking on the street to come to a water balloon fight, throwing water balloons at each other even though we needed them filled and in the bucket because it was too fun to pass up. It’s the little moments that are often overlooked, the small things that are often thought to be insignificant. To get the most out of life, you have to learn how to appreciate life’s little moments. When you learn to appreciate the journey, you will learn that the end result is nice, the little moments are often better. Appreciating the journey allows you to say, “That was a fun week” as opposed to “that was a fun party we helped throw!” My message to the readers is until the moment occurs, enjoy the lead-up, enjoy the little things, and most of all, enjoy the journey because one day you will be looking back and the journey will be what makes you smile even though the moment has passed.