You may recall, my family and I traveled the country for three months. After just one week, I was accused of taking too many pictures. A fair complaint coming from my son who was having the time of his life, running on the field at Dallas Cowboys stadium. At this moment, he was focused on 1) scoring a touchdown and 2) performing his signature touchdown dance in the end zone. And so he did.
In the Moment
He huddled up at the 10-yard line with his dad, ran a slant route and celebrated the touchdown as if watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys on a Sunday afternoon. I kept telling myself, “Be Present.” “Be in the moment.” “Stop snapping photos because you can’t recreate this moment!” Yes, easier said than done.
As I thought about his request, I realized that my picture-taking-pace could not continue like this for three months. We were just two weeks in and had traveled over 3,000 miles. Beginning in the deep south, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and now the parks of Utah. Many photo-worthy stops awaited us.
Be still my heart! The drive alone from Sante Fe, NM to Moab, UT was stunning. I marveled at the unique landscape in each state. Flat Texas, unique and enchanting New Mexico, snow-capped mountains and green hills in Colorado and Utah’s red canyon walls and the “red dirt” of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Dear readers, this is an amazing part of the country and my pictures will NEVER do it justice. You must see it for yourself. Ask me anything if you plan a trip!
As we traveled, the list of return locations grew but my picture taking has slowed. I was more deliberate and organized about the process of snapping and deleting. My husband and son were no longer required to pose in front of every attraction. In fact, my son loved carrying my old digital camera to snap his own pictures. He asked questions and enlisted my help. We talked about camera settings, lighting and angles for his shots. I was in the moment teaching him about photography instead of snapping haphazardly. Without this trip and the opportunity to homeschool/world school, I doubt I would ever have taken the time to do so. Ouch…a harsh realization for me as a mom to think about the opportunities I’m missing.
Weight Lifted
Oddly enough, a weight lifted when I decided to not take so many photos. I remembered how I had to download, organize, delete, crop and save 1,352 photos from just two weeks in Hawaii. With this memory in mind, I suddenly looked forward to scaling back and enjoying the ride.
It’s the journey, not the destination. Wise words right? And my son parroted them back them to me as I pulled out my phone to snap another photo of him. Sigh, I’ll get there.
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