I am a photographer. I don't do it for a living, and I have no desire ever to, but I've been taking pictures since I got my first camera for my 12th birthday. I still come home to take pictures for my brother's football team because I thoroughly enjoy it. As a photographer, of course I have an immense love and appreciation for photos and the memories they represent; however, sometimes you can get so caught up in taking the pictures - "preserving memories" - that you don't actually remember what was going on around you. You become so focused on having a visible reminder to look back on, but if your focus is purely on the future memories, you miss out on the present moment. It took me quite a while to realize this, but now that I do realize it, I wish other's would appreciate my realization as much as I do.

I appreciate that people understand that I love to photograph, but its gets tiring when you are assumed to photograph everything. Photography is a wonderful skill to have, but sometimes I just wish that people could learn to let the photographs go and focus on what is in front of them.

Photographs are wonderful, permanent memories, but sometimes I believe we focus too much on preserving memories to enjoy them. There is something incredibly powerful about living in the moment, and I believe as a whole, we spend too much time focused and worrying about future or past problems that we don't thoroughly enjoy current ones.

"We don't have to remember what people said, only how it made us feel." This was a quote I found once, and I believe it applies even to my argument about living in the moment. I may not remember exactly what all happened or what the moment looked like, but I can remember how I felt during it. I can remember the warmth, love, and happiness I was surrounded by in that moment.

This is what I urge you to do: step away from the camera, stop focusing on how important it is to remember, and allow yourself to be surrounded by the feelings around you. And while you're at it, give the photographer the permission to do the same.

"Nothing is more precious than being in the present moment. Fully alive, fully aware."