I spend many New Year’s Days working on a puzzle- don’t worry, it’s not the same puzzle. I obsess over the puzzle. I am not one of those persons that can stand over a puzzle and put one or two pieces in a puzzle every day. I can get lost in a puzzle for hours at a time. There is something to the search and the clues, and when two pieces interlock–there is a feeling of incredible joy. But it is fleeting, but the addiction is set in because I want to feel that moment of joy again- so I try to find two more pieces that will interlock.
This year I decided to try something new. When we moved last summer- I packed a lot of things. One of those things that we seem to have collected over the years is photographs. We have boxes and boxes of photos. Many of the photos are duplicates. My project for the new year was to get those photos organized. I wanted my children to have an account of their childhood, and proof that we actually did fun things with them when they were younger. I have embarked upon separating, discarding, and organizing photos.
What I have learned.…
We definitely took more photos of our firstborn.
There are many more pictures of a combination of 3 than all 4 of us in one photo (after all, someone had to take the photo.
We took more pictures during their baby and toddler years.
All the photos connect us to a memory in a time and space.
There are so many more pictures of us laughing and smiling, than there are crying and pouting.
We have far fewer actual photos (hard copies) since the smart phone digital age.
I have forgotten so many stories- but the pictures are a snap shot of story.
People often say that if there house was on fire, the one thing they would try to rescue would be photo albums. In the digital age- we might not have to worry about that. We can post pictures on social media or put them “in a cloud.” But there is nothing like recalling, and reliving the stories from old photographs. A photograph means “it happened, and you were there.”
I think smartphones have amplified the idea, which is why the “selfie” is so popular. But my fear is that we become so obsessed with the “selfie” that we aren’t really there. Instead of enjoying our child’s first step, we are recording. Instead of enjoying our children’s band concerts or sports games- we are trying to get the best shot, the right angle, the perfect moment. Sure, our kids when they are 30 years old might enjoy seeing themselves as 8 years old scraping a violin bow across the strings or as a 5 year old frozen in the glare of the spotlight on the stage at their dance recital. I know that they will always remember and appreciate that you were there. Just be there.
