It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. You have to unload the groceries from the car before the ice cream melts. You have to hurry to get everyone dressed and ready to go so you won’t be late. You have to rush through your check list before a big meeting to make sure you didn’t forget anything. You have to. You have to. You have to.
We often get caught up in these “have-to’s” and we forget to celebrate the memories being made along the way. Steven Addis gave a TedTalk about this very dilemma. Addis, a father and a photographer, admitted to being behind the camera more often than he was in front of it. He shared 15 of his favorite photos with the audience and to their surprise, he didn’t take a single one. Each photo featured him and his daughter over the span of several years on yearly trips to New York City taken by strangers.
Addis explained that while he isn’t in many family photos, he reflected on these pictures as an effort to “consciously create memories”. It doesn’t matter that the lighting wasn’t always great. It doesn’t matter that the photos weren’t taken by professionals. What matters is that he and his daughter have photos to remind them of the trips they took and the memories they made together. Often we breeze through life without realizing that we are making memories, moments in our lives that we hope to remember for a long time. That said, take a break from all of the “have-to’s” and acknowledge the memory by taking a photo, by sharing a smile with a friend or giving a loved one a hug.
Try making a conscious effort to create memories. You’ll look back someday and be glad you did.
Click here to see the full TedTalk given by Steven Addis!
For more information on how to be mindful, click here.
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