As I look back at pictures of trips taken I find myself remembering more of the trip by photographs of pieces I had forgotten. "Oh yeah, remember the quiet fishing lake in Ireland?" "Ha! Remember that bird in Costa Rica that kept trying to take food off my plate!" "Ah yes, the friendly retired couple I met out hiking alone in Arizona and we all went for ice cream when we got back. I wonder how they're doing."
I love the way pictures give the mind a mini vacation as I am transported back to another place and time. And now with a child that seems to warp time I love photos even more. "Ha! Remember when we were so tired those first few weeks we would sleep ANYWHERE if the baby would sleep?" "Look how the dogs would form a perimeter around her, close enough to protect but just out of her reach." "The first time she tried baby food! She had so many expressions!"
I think I could look at pictures all day. I love looking back and taking time to remember all the beautiful times gone by. And yet I need to live in this moment as well and capture the beauty of here and now. My camera allows me to do that so effectively.
I'm grateful for my camera. I'm grateful for a camera on my phone that is with me at most times. I'm grateful for my large professional camera that allows me to get crisper photos and have more control over the depth and effects of the photo subject. I'm grateful for my travels and all the beauty I have seen. I'm grateful for the many ways my daughter has changed my life and all the beauty she adds to it. I'm grateful to know I will have time again in the future to travel and when I do I will have an added companion to help me see with renewed awe. I'm grateful to capture the special moments and the ordinary, to build my time machine well so that I will have plenty of times to travel to as I reflect in the future.
What are some of your favorite photos? Do you take pictures often or do you rely on your mind's eye to remember?
May today remind us that our past helped create who we are today. May we cherish each moment as we consciously create our future selves. And may we have fun reflecting on the photos of the past. Have a beautiful day!