The Simplest Moments That Shape Us

A few nights ago, I found myself back on campus for a Rutgers basketball game. I spend a lot of time at Rutgers sporting events. This cool November night, the place was buzzing with energy. The pep band blasting, the student section rocking, the court glowing under the lights. You know that feeling, alive, electric, completely in it.

During a timeout, I turned around… and froze.

A few rows behind me sat a good friend of mine with his dad. Nothing dramatic. Nothing staged. Just the two of them, side by side, talking, laughing, taking in the game. I knew it was a special moment for them. I stared in awe. It was like the arena fell silent and I stood there alone.

Out of nowhere, emotion hit me hard.

I suddenly remembered all those days I spent with my dad in the stands at Rutgers football games. We spent many special Saturdays together. The thrill of the tailgate where he cooked. The walk from the car to the stadium. The smell of charcoal and lighter fluid. The chill in the late-season air. The way he’d nudge me and say, “Maybe this is the year!” He believed it every single season.

He’s been gone 19 years now. Almost two decades. And yet, in that moment, I was 30 years old again, sitting next to him, soaking in a simple, ordinary, perfect memory. Laughing and talking about nothing. Or maybe, everything.

The truth is, those “ordinary” moments weren’t ordinary at all. Today I realize, they were everything.

And seeing my friend with his dad reminded me of the principles that are at the core of the LITSG philosophy:

Minutes Matter

The minutes where nothing big is happening… often become the moments that mean the most. Embrace each minute.

Can’t Make It Alone

Our lives are shaped by the people we sit next to. The people we share our minutes with. At games, at dinner tables, on long car rides, on couches during mundane movies.

Live Today… Don’t Wait For Tomorrow

Don’t wait for the “big” stuff. The real magic usually comes disguised as the routine, the familiar, the everyday.

As we enter December, the busiest, loudest, most chaotic month of the year, I want to offer you a simple invitation:

Stop. Look around. Soak it in. Enjoy each moment.

Don’t rush past the moments that will one day bring you to your knees with gratitude.

Slow down during the holiday madness.
Make time for the people who matter.
Put your phone in your pocket and be present.
Smile a little longer.
Hug a little tighter.
Listen with both ears and your whole heart.

Because one day, without warning, the thing you’re doing right now… The thing that feels so “normal” will become a memory you long to have back.

Life isn’t a highlight reel.
It’s a collection of tiny, beautiful, fleeting instants we too often overlook.

So this December, be deliberate.
Find the magic in the mundane.
Create connection wherever you can.
Say yes to the people you love.
And savor every single minute. The loud ones, the quiet ones, and all the ones in between.

I hope you have a meaningful, joy-filled, connection-soaked holiday season.
Here’s to happy hearts, full schedules for the right reasons, and making every day, especially in December, the best day ever.

Life is too short. Make today unforgettable.

Regards,
Scott
The Life Is Too Short Guy