A Memory Lasts Forever Too

I am so used to my digital life, my iPhone with its super cool and powerful camera, my dropbox account that costs me however much $ a month so that I can instantly download and share all of my ingenious family and candid shots.

I am so used to THAT that it takes all the effort I can muster simply to STOP.

Over the weekend my family and I went to the Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor water park, and then spent all day today at the Carolina Zoo. This vacation was on the heels of the most excruciating month we've had as a family. Lee has worked 12-15hr days for 7 days a week for at least 3 weeks straight. We learned so much from this month of over working and under connecting. And we have vowed never to let it happen again.

Me Cheating!! 

So during our vacation there were countless water slides, and magic quests, and meals, and games, and jokes, and stories, but very few made it to my digital photo album.

Instead of looking for a photo op, I was trying to savor the moment. Instead of stopping the laughter so I could quickly snap a few photos, I was just adding my voice to the laughter. Don't get me wrong, I was constantly slipping back into my old habits--stepping back from the fun and clicking away on my camera, but I consciously tried to distance myself from that behavior...

What is that!? Why is it so much more important to have a photo than to be a participant in the action? I feel like we think that if we don't capture it on film (figuratively), then it never happened and no one will ever remember this moment. But what I think really happens is that everyone remembers that moment, you just won't be in the memory. One rarely remembers who took the picture, just who was standing by his side!

I need to be better at being an active person in my family and not just an observant bystander. Hey, there's nothing wrong with capturing moments on your camera/phone. I just know that I allowed myself to be removed from the family time, in order to be the cameraman. I think a nice balance is needed. I'm hoping that I achieved that on this trip.

A while back a wrote a poem about always being behind the lens. If you're interested in checking it out, ---->Click here<----- nbsp="">