Enjoy the Moment

We went on a little family trip to the beach in Jaco during Semana Santa. With Will traveling and working so much lately, we have to get away just for him to relax (and so no one can find him!). We really enjoyed our time together as a family just relaxing with no plans. Lots of swimming, playing, sleeping and eating!

I took my camera, but didn't take one picture. I've been thinking a lot about why I did that. I knew I had it, but I feel like sometimes the camera adds extra stress. The stress of wanting to capture every moment. I want action pictures. I want seemingly candid ones. I want the perfect family picture. I want the perfect picture of the 5 of us. I want everyone smiling. Eww I look gross in that picture. You get the idea. Sometimes it keeps me from just enjoying the moment.

I find that I actually soak up and take in ALL the moments when I don't have a camera with me. I enjoy looking at pictures as much as anybody, but I always love the memories I carry with me. I grew up with lots of family pictures and videos and very rarely do we sit down and look at them. And do I remember my childhood? YES! Very well actually. In fact, most of my favorite memories were not photographed. And now that we have digital cameras, are we ever going to look back on the 1000 pictures we took from the last trip? Probably not. That's pretty overwhelming.

I also wonder what a constant "camera in the face" does to my kids. Does it annoy them? Am I keeping them from enjoying the moment? Am I adding stress? Does this make them feel self-conscious? Does this make them feel self-centered? If I'm trying to teach them that life isn't all about them, then why do I act like the paparazzi following them around all the time?

With facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, whatever, getting the perfect picture to upload seems to be the priority. And everyone has a nice camera these days and has become a photographer (our family included). Living in Costa Rica has taught me to simplify my life. This has led to a lot of self-examination and a realization that simplifying is freeing. I want to keep the picture-taking in check and make sure my motivations are good. Good for me, good for my family, and good for our souls.

So I have no pictures of our last family vacation. Just wonderful and personal memories.

I enjoyed putting down the camera and enjoying the moment.