Today I noticed...Sometimes the goal just needs to be experience.

I recently heard somebody say, "Everything is a win when the goal is experience." My chemistry and philosophy is forever changed.

The Oxford dictionary tells us that experience is practical contact with and observation of facts or events.

I like how the word practical is used in that definition. Not all contact or observation is practical or natural. Sometimes it is contrived. 

According to Webster, experience is the knowledge, skills, and understanding gained through directly observing, encountering, or undergoing events over time. It involves active participation or perception of the world, shaping a person's character and wisdom. It represents both the process of learning and the accumulation of life's moments.

I like how Webster's definition includes the word directly, letting us know that our own experience is what counts - not that of others. Plus, it goes further to to clarify that it must be active participation or perception; so, nothing second hand really counts as personal experience and doesn't directly shape our character or wisdom. Then, it further clarifies by adding that it is the process and the accumulation. The process is just as important as the end point.

My Daddy used to tell me that education and experience is something that will always belong to you and nobody can take it away. You will always have it and carry it around with you wherever you go.

So, it is great to have lofty goals but sometimes just experiencing life's moments is really as important as achieving a lofty goal.