Being Present
I have this obsession and it's called capturing moments. Ken and I argue every now and then about my lack of 'being in the moment' and enjoying the here and now. He actually told me, "Each time you take a picture, it takes a little bit out of the moment for me." I let that statement sink in for a bit before getting defensive. He's right. I do have trouble being present. I think we all do. Let's face it, we are all usually multitasking, thinking about what we are going to make for dinner or distracted by our phones all the while unintentionally ignoring those around us far too often.
"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." - Buddha
When I blog, it allows me to reflect. If I need to work on something, I put it out to the universe (like my stress for instance) and I think about it in my everyday life. I can't say that I change just like that, it's a work in progress, but it's nice to know that it's a thought in the back of my mind. After all, life's a journey, not a destination ;)
So I took this week off from blogging and I took fewer pictures than I normally would have. All to be present and enjoy the here in now. Last weekend we went to Indian Head Resort for our one-year wedding anniversary. The second we checked in, nostalgia hit me in the face hard. I grabbed a homemade chocolate chip cookie at the front desk and started chatting with the lady, "we got married here!," I beamed. She didn't seem to care, but I wasn't going to let that ruin my trip!
First stop on our agenda was the outdoor pool. For some reason it was a lot more difficult to get myself to strip down and jump in. I asked Ken, "was it this cold on our wedding?". "COLDER," he replied. It must have been all that champagne we were chugging illegally.
This time, I worried about my new found mom muffin top, "do I look okay in this bathing suit babe?" and what if I catch a cold, I don't want to give it to Ky! But I sucked it up and did it. I took in the Alpha Rev background music while I swam lap after lap until I got tired. It was so incredibly refreshing and awesome.
After we swam (didn't get to go in the hottub because it was PACKED) we headed to the bar. Again, waves of emotions and memories hit me like a ton of bricks. I remember it to be a lot less busy on our wedding weekend. Maybe because the resort saved the rooms for most of my guests. But in retrospect, having the resort mostly to ourselves was just perfect. I reflected on the night before the wedding when Elena taught me how to dance to the one-man-band blues singer. When a drunken Glynnis laid on Ken's lap. When Ed was happy...
Goofed around a bit.
I saw this sign and begged Ken to do it with me someday. He complied because he was drunk.
Then we got back to our room and chowed down and watched the Bruin's game.
And passed out at like 9:30 hahaha.
We did wake up for a nice refreshing morning swim (this time inside.)
And went home holding hands. Rejuvenated. Anxious to see our little stinker.
"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." - Buddha
When I blog, it allows me to reflect. If I need to work on something, I put it out to the universe (like my stress for instance) and I think about it in my everyday life. I can't say that I change just like that, it's a work in progress, but it's nice to know that it's a thought in the back of my mind. After all, life's a journey, not a destination ;)
So I took this week off from blogging and I took fewer pictures than I normally would have. All to be present and enjoy the here in now. Last weekend we went to Indian Head Resort for our one-year wedding anniversary. The second we checked in, nostalgia hit me in the face hard. I grabbed a homemade chocolate chip cookie at the front desk and started chatting with the lady, "we got married here!," I beamed. She didn't seem to care, but I wasn't going to let that ruin my trip!
First stop on our agenda was the outdoor pool. For some reason it was a lot more difficult to get myself to strip down and jump in. I asked Ken, "was it this cold on our wedding?". "COLDER," he replied. It must have been all that champagne we were chugging illegally.
Oh really??
Last year:
This time, I worried about my new found mom muffin top, "do I look okay in this bathing suit babe?" and what if I catch a cold, I don't want to give it to Ky! But I sucked it up and did it. I took in the Alpha Rev background music while I swam lap after lap until I got tired. It was so incredibly refreshing and awesome.
After we swam (didn't get to go in the hottub because it was PACKED) we headed to the bar. Again, waves of emotions and memories hit me like a ton of bricks. I remember it to be a lot less busy on our wedding weekend. Maybe because the resort saved the rooms for most of my guests. But in retrospect, having the resort mostly to ourselves was just perfect. I reflected on the night before the wedding when Elena taught me how to dance to the one-man-band blues singer. When a drunken Glynnis laid on Ken's lap. When Ed was happy...
okay so there were people (must have been in our own little world). also, what is going on here?
This time was different, but still just as special. We took lemon drop shots at 6:30PM.
Goofed around a bit.
I saw this sign and begged Ken to do it with me someday. He complied because he was drunk.
Then we got back to our room and chowed down and watched the Bruin's game.
And passed out at like 9:30 hahaha.
We did wake up for a nice refreshing morning swim (this time inside.)
Played some games.
And went home holding hands. Rejuvenated. Anxious to see our little stinker.
And for the record, I will never stop taking pictures.
Great post, Kayla. Trying to remain in the present is much more difficult today than it was 50 years ago, and the demands of a new baby mean that you have even less time to just let your mind relax and stay centered. Taking the time to snap a photo does take you away from the present, but I think it serves a very important purpose. Preserving a special moment in a photo means that in 5, or 10, or 50 years, you will be able to look at the photo and remember the emotions of that moment. I can virtually guarantee that by the time Kylan is 5, you and Ken won't remember exactly what she looked like at 1 month old. Photographs are for a future present moment, when we feel the need to reminisce. Without photos, we are left to the uncertain nature of our memories.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, taking videos is much worse in terms of taking you out of the present. Although a video does capture a moment with far greater color, the person behind the camera lens is not participating in action at all.
Keep taking those beautiful pictures and some day you and Ken will have the fun of trying to organize all of them into albums!