On Christmas Eve, I danced with my daughter. We were outside at a gathering of friends and family. She wandered off to a deck on their outside patio. Music was playing, and she started to twirl. It was precious. I wanted to take a video and share it with the world, but instead, I danced. Instead of observing from afar, I joined in.  In that moment, I knew that getting out my phone would ruin it, that somehow this fleeting opportunity was too sacred to be captured in an 11 second video. It was a “moment”, and I wanted it to live in my mind in all of its fullness, not on my phone.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good selfie – so much so that I was actually given a selfie light for Christmas (Yes, they exist, and no, I won’t post a link to it because no one should own a selfie light).  I’m just going to tell myself that I was given the selfie light not because of the QUANTITY of selfies I take, but rather because of the QUALITY of said selfies. I can deal with being seen as a poor photographer, not so much with being in love with myself.  But what I love more than a selfie is a staged photo. Just ask my husband (who HATES them, by the way). I have costumes, props, scenery, and as my pictures get more complicated, he gets more annoyed. But I remind him that Grandma (his mom) and Gigi love them, and he obliges…sometimes.  I love taking pictures to commemorate holidays, events, and special occasions, but those aren’t really “moments” to me.  Moments are the things that take you by surprise and sometimes take your breath away. Social media would lead us to believe that the most important moments in our lives should be captured and shared, but maybe they are just supposed to be lived. And maybe those moments aren’t always the ones that make the best pictures. Sometimes the “moment” is saying yes when your daughter asks you to play in her kitchen. Sometimes it’s putting down your phone when your spouse is talking to you. Maybe it’s a beautiful sunset or a perfect meal. I don’t know what your moments might look like, but I encourage you to live them.