Capture every moment. Every single one that you can, because we are not on this earth forever. We all have an unknown expiration date and our bodies and faces are going to change through all these years, so capture every second of it.

I'm very much into taking pictures. Selfies, candids, posed shots--all of them. Now I'm not going to sit here and claim I know the first thing about professional photography let alone how to take a professional picture. But I will say that I take pictures of me and of the people I love. I take selfies because they're fun and they help me like myself. I take tons of dumb selfies on my friends' phones when they aren't looking because I love them and I love to be obnoxious towards those I love. I love taking candids of my boyfriend because he's cute and, again, I'm kind of obnoxious, but it's all in good love.

I absolutely detest the claim that our generation is selfish for always taking selfies and pictures. I reject it, actually. Because we aren't selfish. We're young and we're relishing in the here and now, but we're also in love with the past. I know I am. And I know that I love taking pictures because I have a short term memory, and I'll forget all of those amazing little details that may seem irrelevant and I don't want to forget any of it. I want to remember that picture because I need it to be able to remember the memory better.

My obsession with pictures is why I love Instagram most out of all the social media outlets. Because it's just about pictures and thoughts and I'm in love with it. I don't post pictures every single day because I need the validation from my followers, I post them for me, and for whoever is unfortunate enough to be in the picture with me (because odds are I took it with them protesting). Because I want to go back 10 years from now and look at how happy I was and compare it to how happy I will be then. I want to be old and wrinkly and remember when I was young. I want to remember that day I realized Christmas was about the love shared and not presents, I want to remember the first time I actually felt beautiful and when I promised myself to the love of my life. I feel the need to remember it all, because what are we without our memories?

So take as many pictures as you want, take as many polaroids as your heart desires and hang them up on your wall on strings with clothespins and surrounded by twinkling lights. We only live once. Please, take the time to remember the good times. Because there will be bad times, but it's then that we need to remember those times when we felt so in love or so invincible or so infinite to help ourselves back up. So, just make sure you have all the ammo you need to take down the monsters inside your head.