this past saturday i had my first official homecoming of high school and my last school dance of junior year. the itinerary went something along the lines of pictures, dinner, the dance, and an after party. (it was all safe and dry, don’t worry!)
we spent about one hour taking pictures at a gorgeous park right near our dinner place, and, i kid you not, i was taking pictures for the entire time. i made sure to get singles with all my girl friends and at the end, a group photo. when i’m with people that i love, my mantra is that i capture the moment at least once - through even just one picture. “pictures or it didn’t happen.”
now i get it - for some people, pictures may seem like a chore or a waste of time. but i don’t see it that way. i see it as a time capsule for when i’m 40 or 50. you know what? not even that far out. i see it for when i’m just about to graduate college or when i meet the love of my life and i’m explaining to him what my secondary education was like. what i did and who my friends were. because i know that if i don’t just click the little white circle at the bottom of the screen in the middle, i’m going to regret it.
pause. forget about meeting my soulmate. forget about college. forget about being a parent, or even a grandparent for that matter. every year, when it comes time for that friend’s birthday story on instagram or snapchat, i want to have at least one picture with them that i can show to the world to portray how much i love them. i mean sure, i don’t have to post. but it’s so cute! why wouldn’t i?
so when we were taking the group picture, i could hear some impatient groans. we had 25 people in our group that came to pictures, and - for the people who are on the edge of their seat - yes, we got the photo. and i am thankful. sure, it was pain to wait two minutes to take one picture because everyone was goofing off, but it’s going to be something we all smile and laugh over in the future.
and when that future comes, i know that i’ll look back so happily and fondly of the memories that were made. not of the moments we made but the moments that made us. fun, beautiful, and candid memories that will forever reside in our hearts. but also our albums, whether that be electronically or physically.
hey now, i’m only going to be sixteen once. and moreover, i’m only going to be a junior in high school once. and i already had my junior year homecoming. there’s only one left. senior year… and then it’s over. it’s the pictures and memories i’m going to live off of, so it’s for those pictures and memories that i will live.