“I hear it all the time. ‘Why are you always taking pictures?’ ‘Live in the moment and stop trying to take a picture.’ ‘Really? You want to take a photo?’
The worst part is these comments normally come from those who also tell us, ‘Time goes so quickly. You blink and you miss it.’
Well, which is it? Can I capture this moment to hold onto and remember? To show my kids when they’re grown, and for them to look back on when their loved ones are gone and all they have is photos?
Or should I simply just remember it and hope when I’m old I can still remember the exact way my son’s face was lit while helping his dad fix the car? My question is, why can’t it be both?
Yes, having memories is important, and trust me when I say I will hold onto and cherish them. As I grow old and repeat them to my children time and time again.
But I want to be able to see those moments, and to have a captured moment of that time. A video to hear their giggle or something to find comfort in and hear the voice of someone who’s now gone.
Maybe these things aren’t talked about when someone comments about taking another photo. Maybe they just don’t see the value or have yet to experience watching things rapidly change and want to hold a moment a little longer.
I’m not saying get professional photos done and ask everyone to pose everywhere you go. What I am saying is, you know those moments—the ones where everything feels exactly how it’s supposed to.
The ones that you’ll look back on and be able to feel the emotions, remember the sounds, and the way the moment felt.
Or simply because you wanted to. You want a photo of this place, this experience, with these people, this moment.
So take all the photos.
The good angles, and the bad ones. The ones no one knows your taking, of a moment you don’t want to forget.
Be annoying, and forget what they say. You know what you want to hold onto, and no one can stop you from making sure you have those memories for yourself and your children.
One day they will understand, and you’ll thank your past self.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Ashley Cirka of Canada and originally appeared here. You can follow her journey on Instagram, Facebook, her blog, Twitter, and Pinterest. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
Read more from Ashley here:
Being Worried You’re A Bad Mom Is A Good Sign You Aren’t One
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