Have you had a peak experience?

I read this article this morning on the website I get called Daily Reflections by John H. Sklare, Ed.D
I love this mans articles, Ive been reading them for a couple of years. Hes an amazing man, who lost his wife a few years ago and he writes columns for various magazines, and e zines.

I'm going through something right now that's very painful. I don't want to bore or scare any of you, but its a rough time for me. I have always been an optimist but this is something I cant fix. Its something that I cannot do much about. I just have to give it to God.
So this article made me smile, Because I too have had those Peak Moments. Moments of Joy that flood you at times. The first time I went scuba diving. Hearing my 2 children cry right after their births. The day I walked down the aisle on my wedding day.
Para sailing in Hawaii high over the beautiful ocean. Living in Japan and enjoying the trade winds blowing and sipping iced tea and looking at the ocean view from my front yard.
many times Ive had a Peak Moment. Read on... what the good Dr. wrote today. And to see his site in the future go to http://lifescript.com/Experts/John.aspx I pray you have a peak experience soon!

"I was lounging on my deck the other day when suddenly I became aware of how quiet it had become. Not a mower, car, plane, voice or anything could be heard. It was simply a rare and magical moment, at least in my neck of the woods. As a matter of fact, the silence was so profound and I became so engrossed in it that it almost seemed mystical. It reminded me of something that I had read about in a psychology theory class years ago in graduate school called a Peak Experience!

American psychologist and philosopher Abraham H. Maslow, who lived from 1908 until 1970, coined this term to describe “nonreligious quasi-mystical and mystical experiences.” According to Maslow, peak experiences “are sudden feelings of intense happiness and well-being.” I’m sure most of you have had this experience at least once in your life. Accompanying these experiences is a heightened sense of control over your body and emotions, and a wider sense of awareness, as though one was standing on the very top of a mountain. The experience often fills the individual with wonder and awe and is truly an invigorating and magical moment.

These experiences can be found in doing the fantastic, like scuba diving in the Caribbean, or in the simple wonder of holding the hand of someone you love. Regardless of the situation, a peak experience is a “stop and smell the roses” moment. So, with that said, here is your mission: See if you can find one of those magical moments today. Even if these happen to be the worst of times in your life presently, find one single moment today when your appreciation for something simple takes you away from it all. "