I wish there were a way of recording all of the beauty I see every day. I have no idea how many times I’ve seen something and thought, “I want to remember this forever.”

I had lots of those moments over my lunch hour today. I met my friend Pam at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden for our annual “find the Showy Lady’s Slipper” excursion. We lucked out: we spotted one large cluster that had just bloomed.

The flowers were beautiful, but what I was really enjoying was Pam’s glee as she looked at the flowers and silently soaked them in. She mused about how as we get older, we realize that our springs are numbered. There wasn’t a hint of melancholy; just as an observation of fact. I knew exactly what she meant.

A few minutes later, we spotted an indigo bunting. Pam had never seen one in the wild before, so we stopped and stood and stared. He looked like a jewel among the branches.

I tried to soak up as much of our walk as I could: Pam’s smile, the wonderful conversation, the comfort of companionship, the warmth of the soft sun on my hair.

Maybe a year—or ten—from now, I’ll look back on this post and remember an hour of my life, and a handful of my favorite moments.