abphotography: memory loss

wynn and i recently stopped by barnes and noble for a little low key playtime. while he was making friends at the train table, i sat down and flipped through the new real simple magazine. its difficult to commit to reading anything longer than a picture caption during train time (and this is why i usually choose people magazine), but this quote from an article about memories struck me ~

the problem with being distracted is that we inhabit daily experience in an absent-minded mode and so have more difficulty forming strong memories, as if the passing moment didn't leave enough of a trace.

i find this to be accurate and so sad! between the computer, the cell phone and just the calendar we keep, there is always something competing with "this moment." and although i try each day to be present with and focused on my children, occasionally the distractions win out. some days, i just have to turn off the computer and hide the cell phone and pretend it's 1997 when i didn't have either. seriously, i do that.

however, this passage also reinforces my feelings about photography. i count on my photographs to serve as bookmarks for the future. so i can remember the day a butterfly landed on sam's shoulder. or how grace and her cousin tessa used to belly laugh. or how proud wynn was when he first brought me flowers. for me, a really great photograph captures more than a sweet smile or a pretty dress ~ it tells a little story. and it holds a place for us, promising to be there when the memory starts to fade.

Forbarb11