They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I can testify. My brand new phone that I haven't even paid off yet is bogged down with thousands and thousands of pictures. In my phone gallery you will find way too many pictures, and videos, of country concerts (and Tay and Biebs concerts), maybe some selfies here and there, and some bittersweet family pictures. You will also come across way too many screenshots of messages I either love or hate, but still can't let go off, and probably some snapshots of power points from those times where my professor was lecturing way too fast. You see, I rarely weed through the pictures on my phone because they all serve a purpose and hold some kind of significance to me, and because there are way to many pictures and it'd take me days, maybe even weeks.

Our generation is criticized for always having our phone in our hands. We also probably take some heat because millennials "probably don't even know what a camera is or what it looks like". And I'm here to say to the older generations, pipe down because we have it so good. Because I don't see anything wrong, or bad even, about having the ability, and privilege, to snap a picture at any given moment. It's amazing is what it is because we don't miss a beat. We can quickly whip out our phone when our little cousin says something hilarious, or when we see a bear crossing our backyard. We get to capture the beauty of a hike or a vacation we took on one small screen. Then suddenly, almost every part of your life is captured on your cell phone. And some might say, well then you are missing out on life as it is happening around you. And I'm here to say no I'm not, YOU are missing out. Because there is nothing like having some downtime to pull up those old videos or photos on your phone and reliving those moments. I myself actually feel like I will remember a specific moment better and for longer when I am able to relive it through a picture or video whenever I want too.

Life is too sweet and too precious to not capture all the fun and good moments. When I'm out and about, it might seem like I am always on my cell phone taking selfies or asking someone to stop and pose for a quick second while I snap away. My sisters fight all too often about who is going to ask what stranger to take a photo for us, but I assure you, all this is necessary. To the people who stand behind me at concerts or sit behind me in class, I do apologize for being so annoying, but not for taking so many pictures. These are the days I really want to remember, now, and forever. And the way I feel like I can best accomplish that is by always having that photo to look back on. This is what I love most about photographs. They're proof that once, even if just for a heartbeat, everything was perfect.