Moments, whether big or small, help shape and define who we are. Some moments impact us more, changing who we are.  I believe that the smallest moments can change our lives and take us on a course that is unexpected or unplanned. The small moments matter, and it is what you do with that moment that helps find the light through the darkness.
     This is the journey of our lives. Life is trying to find out who we are, who we can be and who we want to be. My life was shaped through one of those small moments that did not stick with me right away, but through the course of time became a defining moment.
     Time was passing slowly and the lights reflected through the sounds surrounding me. There was a pause in life as the world slowed to the rhythmic sound of my heartbeat. As the concert began, the light from the sun blinded my gaze to the stage of the Greek Theater, situated on the top of a hill over-looking the vast city life below. The LA colors obscured, hiding low behind the smog of the city. The concert hall was its own little paradise.
I was in the pit, surrounded on all side by pushing and excited fans. As I looked to the backdrop around me, I could see that it was enclosed, protected on all sides by a forest of lush California pines. As I peered behind me, I could only see a sea of heads moving and turning as they talked to those around them. I was squished between a crowd of strangers, standing on cement, gum splattered flooring. However, out in the distance, as I bent down, I could make out the color of green lining the ground. People seemed to have much more space and room to spread out blankets. I looked at the faces around me; people were smiling, screaming and dancing with excitement, as Sam Smith entered to the sound of his first song.
     It was dusk and the sound of the roaring music pulsed the ground and vibrated through my body as I jumped and danced to his beat. Strangers around me hugged close, blending together, all screaming, and moving with those around them as they fought to dance to the ending of the third song.
     As the evening settled in, the massive white dome of the stage steadily obstructed the light. The last rays of the sun outlined the eggshell of the dome. As the sixth song of the evening started, La La La (Feat. Naughty Boy) I suddenly felt a drop of water release from the clear sky and land on my cheek. As I looked up, I could see a single dark grey cloud form over this valley. As the song began to pick up in beat, the rain changed into a downpour.
      I looked at each stranger’s face around me, no one seemed to care or notice that they were drenched. It was a downpour within minutes. I was soaked to the bone. As the rain soaked my hair, it went stringy and changed from its light brown color to an almost black shade. My clothes sagged on my body as the cotton fabric quickly absorbed too much rain. It was the best kind of rainstorm. It came around that heavenly hour, when the weary sun touches the earth as the gentle muted last rays before twilight. I embraced the rain. I danced and danced as if no one was watching. The rain made everything and everyone come alive.
     As the concert ended a few hours later, the rain had come to a light drizzle, a hint of peppermint filled the air. The sun had disappeared and in its place was a sliver of moon and the twinkling of the stars. The glow off the pavement reflected from the street lamps and lit the world around me.  Soon, everyone disappeared into the night as they left the light of the street lamps and vanished into the dark void of their own separate lives. The night was still and peaceful, the only sound was the splat of the raindrops hitting my already drenched clothes. I did not care; the rain was warm and inviting against my skin. As I got into the car and turned on the heat to try to dry my clothes, I looked in the rear view mirror to see the haunting glow of each car’s headlight, illuminating the way back to Paradise Valley.
     That night I went to the Sam Smith’s concert at the Greek Theater was a small moment. I was not expecting it to have an impact on who I am. However, as I looked back and remembered the feelings and thoughts that came with being there, I feel I have come alive. I live and embrace each day, each hour, and each second with open arms and an open heart. 

       That moment, as I danced in the rain, I did not realize right away that life is short and if I do not stop sometimes and really live and feel the moment, I might regret it later. The small moments matter just as much as the bigger ones. No matter what people say, there is no one defining moment in life. I learn each day something new about myself that can shape who I am little by little. We all have a destiny, but I believe we all have a choice in whether we follow and live in those small moments or not.