Recently, I started organizing photos of my 2 boys. Both are graduating this June: Liam from grammar school, Ryan, college. Lots of feels for sure. And I set out to make each of them a video to play at their respective parties.
It was a terrific and much needed walk down memory lane. Sometimes, in the middle of teen angst and “I’m an adult now” drama- it’s good to look back on the little guys they once were. No matter how big they get, I can still see some of that boyhood charm and magic in them. Sometimes I need that focus adjustment.
Going through the photos though, I noticed a sharp drop in the number I have once they each passed 6th grade. That’s when the protests started I guess. It’s embarrassing mommm, don’t take a picture of thisss. That’s a little on them. But then, on my end, trying to keep up with the fast pace of tweens and teens, having so much of their daily lives playing out away from me, having so many moments I grew to think of as “boring” or uneventful- I failed to raise my camera as much as I did those years back.
And the time passed. And I failed to push pause as much as all wish I had.
And just like that, in the middle of all the routine and ordinary, I find myself turning around to take stock of the journey we have taken and realize how very much things have changed. Even in just a matter of months, there seems to be a constant shift of what “normal” means- and I have far too few photos to document it all.
There are still milestones to be marked and everyday moments to be captured. Just because I have to change the way I go about taking my photos and telling the stories doesn’t mean I should give up on it.
I need to create a new normal. I invite you to share the journey with me. Let’s do this.