Take A Picture, It Will Last Longer

Given that the last few days have been crazy hectic with the birth of my grandson and with us having more family arriving in town to host today I was worried about having time to get everything done so I asked my 21 year old daughter Ashley if she could write a guest post for me to share with you in tonight’s blog (I knew you wouldn’t mind because every time she has covered for me in the past I’ve gotten flooded with notes on how much you all love her blogs). So here’s Ashley’s post – enjoy!:

Picture or it Didn’t Happen

Millennials. Ahhhh yes– the age of the “selfie”. Getting ready in the morning to look fly, staging the perfect shot, and spending countless hours thinking of a caption that probably doesn’t make sense anyways for that one Instagram post that nobody will ever take more than two seconds to double tap, scroll through, and never think twice about.

All jokes aside, I think millennials are on to something when it comes to taking pictures. We probably take it to the extreme, I’ll admit. Maybe we do have more pictures in our photo libraries than breaths taken in our lives. But something I’ve come to know is this:

“You only regret the pictures you don’t take.” – the Nicolas Sparks movie Safe Haven

I have found that phrase to be so true. When I think back to the life I’ve lived so far, I only really remember the things that I have pictures of. It’s like my brain took the phrase “picture or it didn’t happen” way too seriously. When we look at past photos we are able to be in that very moment again and can feel all the emotions that came with it. We laugh, we cry, we wince, we relive, we remember, we learn, we love, we grow. Like they say, a picture is worth 1000 words.

Now of course there is balance in all things. Sometimes the greatest moment you’ll ever live will been ruined if you pull out a camera rather than just enjoy it. When those times come, you just have to live and be present. Allow yourself to soak it all in and feel everything. Those moments are the ones that forever impress in your mind and heart– you don’t need a picture to remember it.

My message that I hope everyone takes away today is this:

LIVE your life. ENJOY your life. REMEMBER your life.

If taking a picture will help you to accomplish those three things, then heck…take a picture! …It will last longer;)

Ashley Lewis (daughter of Amy Rees Anderson)

3 Comments

  • Brenda says:

    I love reading all your positive blog posts while on my mission but do want to know how do you always have such a cute picture that matches the posts you do for the day up on the left side? Do you do those as well?

  • Jane says:

    Ashley, you have the exactly the right perspective (at least from my perspective). I LOVE this! Yes, balance is good, but I have listened to people tell me to stop taking so many pictures. They say if you are taking pictures you are not in the moment. That’s where balance comes in, of course. But I love having the pictures of an event, even a simple get together, captured for memories later. I get to enjoy the experience over and over again. Yes – I have the memory, but I so love your impression ….take a picture…it will last longer.

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