The Digital Age

During the fall, I was given the task of scanning all of my family’s photos so that we could have a digital copy. Despite the back pain that I received as a result of hunching over for hours, I loved every second of the project. There were so many photos that I had never seen before! So many made me laugh! (I thoroughly annoyed my siblings during this time, as I sent them every cute photo I came across.)

When my siblings and I were younger, our grandmother would have a Kodak disposable camera glued to her hand each time we saw her. We grew to loathe that little machine. It made us pause and smile every five minutes. Oh, we’d complain and make faces, and she’d get mad, but the picture would still be taken. I realized, as I poured over boxes and boxes of albums and random photos, that my parents covered celebrations, birthdays, and holidays, but my grandmother captured the everyday. Although it was annoying then, I’m grateful now.

In this digital age, it’s so easy to snap a picture on your phone and then forget that it exists a few days later. (I’m guilty of it too!) We rarely take the time to develop photos for albums. In the kitchen of the first house that my family lived in was a refrigerator that was completely covered in pictures. Every square inch of magnetic surface was plastered with an image. 

Ordinary attire for an extraordinary child (PSST: That's me!)

I think that there’s a delicate balance to be found between living behind a camera/phone, remembering to take a few photos at important events, and capturing the everyday moments of your life. For instance, my brother never fails to make me laugh with his crazy outfits, especially when he’d get all dressed up (or painted…ugh) for his high school’s football games. In all of those moments, I took a quick picture of the outrageousness of it all, so that when I get the pictures developed, I’ll always remember that one time in 2016 when my brother wore all USA-themed clothing to his basketball practice or that annoyed face I made at my younger siblings when they wouldn’t listen (I’m not sure much has changed!). ​

I couldn't talk about this photo and not share it!

Side note: I think I've convinced my mom to make (with my help, of course) homemade pasta this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled for that blog post!