No More 3x5s
I steal other people’s pictures. I have pictures all over my house. Oddly, many of the pictures of friends I have were not only not taken by me, but I wasn’t even at the event where the picture taken. I’m not a big picture taker. If I do take pictures, they’re of mundane things or things I see everyday, like my backyard.
I recently went on a short vacation to Mexico. I forgot to even bring a camera. My traveling companions did have theirs, which resulted in the best picture of my boyfriend and I. Ever. It is displayed in places of prominence everywhere I can put it, save on a billboard along the 1-10. Part of me would feel sad had no one brought a camera and I didn’t have that picture. But it wouldn’t have changed the fact that that day happened.
We live like this though. We have a camera at hand all the time thanks to our phones. We snap away focusing on one sense. And it’s not even fully focused. It’s one sense through a digital screen. I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s good enough. We deserve better and need to give that to ourselves.
Even without that picture being taken and a subsequent one of my friend Luis and I looking an ungodly level of relaxed, I have that whole afternoon spent in a Mexican cantina locked away in my mind. So many little details. How the concrete wall we sat on was warm and when I went inside to wander around the dark cool of the inner bar was a drastic and welcome change. The music of the band and singing along too loudly to “Mama Tried.” The happy sound of total strangers greeting each other and talking like old friends. The smell of the carne asada wafting in from the tiny little kitchen off to the side. The sound of flip flops dragging on a dusty concrete floor.
When we only use that one sense we run the risks of missing something. I want more. I want to be able to crack open an ice cold Dos Equis, close my eyes and be right back there in JJ’s Cantina. I was an amazing afternoon and I want to relive it. Because really, what life is about isn’t always the pictures, it’s the story behind them that we tell when we’re old and sitting on a porch somewhere. I plan to have a lot of good front porch stories in my life.
Ace and I are terrible about remembering to take (or pull out) a camera for things that happen.
So, we have almost no pictures, but I remember the other things. The silly things said that become jokes after that. The wonderful foods that are eaten in pleasant company. The lazy days sitting around reading, fully relaxed, because there was nothing more important to do right then.
So, while I can’t show others all these memories, I’m glad to know that I’ve got them. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
see, now I’m just as bad as you! I just pirated the pic of you & Brent so I can have a copy of it! BTW, LOVING the blog! I started one months back but only have one post – maybe yours will inspire me to continue!!
Get on it! I think it would be hysterical. What is the blog address? You must do it if nothing else than to entertain me! I love that pic of Brent and I. We look like happy kids. However, the bocce picture made us nearly pee our pants laughing.
Ok, yeah, the bocce picture was definitely a classic….a true pants-pee-er!! My blog address is http://stressed-jess.blogspot.com/ Stressed Jess…fitting for me! Anyway, looking forward to your next post!