What has happened to us? When did capturing a photo become more important than experiencing life? When did likes become more important than memories? When did having followers become as important as having friends? Why do so many of us weigh our success based on our Instagram accounts?
While I'm just as guilty as the next person of posting my best pictures on Instagram, using filters, and using hashtags, a lot of people place such an emphasis on capturing these moments that they forget to experience the moment, to live the moment. So many people focus on how their hair will look, what outfit they will wear, what angle they should stand at, and what the lighting is like that they overlook all that is happening around them.
I love to travel and experience new things and places. I also love to take photos to capture these moments, but all that I am capturing is that one moment in time. I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen people get out of their car, take a picture, then get back in their car and drive away. I was recently at the Grand Canyon, I repeat the Grand Canyon, considered one the most beautiful and breathtaking places on earth, and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. There were people standing around me who were literally in tears at the site of this grand place. But there were also a number of people taking selfie after selfie and not taking the time to just turn around and appreciate where they were. Don't be that person.
One of the most amazing experiences of my life was whale watching in New Zealand. Some of the worlds most magnificent creatures were right in front of me in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and instead of appreciating the significance of what was happening right in front of me I was frantically running around the boat trying to capture the perfect picture and get a whalefie (yes, that is a selfie with a whale). It wasn't until after we saw the third whale breach the water that I stopped and thought to myself "What am I doing?" Years from now when I look back on this moment I want to be able to relive it, moment for moment. I don't want to remember running around trying to get the best picture. I don't want to remember what I saw through the screen on my phone and camera. I want to remember all those moments that left me speechless! The moment I saw a sperm whale breach the water off the shores of Kaikoura, New Zealand, surrounded by beautiful mountains, listening to the guide tell us stories about each whale and how each whale got its name. Those are the moments that I will never forget.
When I sit with my grandma and she tells me all these amazing stories about her life and stories from when she was young there is hardly ever a picture to go with that story. But you know what she does have? She has stories that she can tell with such detail that it is as if you are there in that moment with her. She didn't capture these moments with a photo, she experienced them.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying leave your cameras at home and don't even think about capturing these moments. Life has so many moments that are worth capturing! Just don't lose sight of why you are taking these pictures.
