Living In The Moment

Not very long ago I was listening to a podcast…and I can’t remember which one. It was about traveling. They were talking about taking photos and how sometimes you should just put the camera down and be there in the moment instead of trying to take the perfect picture. I didn’t think much of it because I usually snap the pictures and put the camera down because I am not a very good photographer. But then I thought about how sometimes I look at a place and think about the picture it could be and even I can get caught up in the picture instead of the moment.

Anyway, on Saturday when I was in Yellowstone, I saw this concept in action. We made it back from our geyser walk just in time to see Old Faithful erupt. We were to the side and had a great view and did not have to be packed into the main crowd. Everybody was standing there with their phones up and ready. Once it erupted, I took a few pictures and then put my phone in my pocket. We watched for a bit and then started to walk away and I noticed that almost everybody was watching the geyser erupt through the screen on their phone. What? We were watching this amazing part of the earth and they saw it through a lens instead of being there watching it live. Some of them were using the video function and just held their phone and looked around it but I still seems like they were not really focusing on what was happening and instead on getting it recorded.

My goal is to make sure I see things and enjoy them in the moment. There is nothing wrong with taking the picture, but I need to make sure that’s not all I’m doing. I still remember my trip to the Louvre and how there are only a few things where I stopped and actually saw them. The rest of the time I was snapping pictures. If I ever get the chance to go back, I will remember to leave the camera in my bag.