Last week my family spent 5+ days at my in-laws’ lakehouse, with siblings and 7 cousins ages 1-9. It was HOT, so we alternated between spending time in the water and in the air conditioning. We swam, tubed, slept in the hammock, built with LEGO, read books, played games.
I only took one photo while there the entire week… and it was because I was texting with a friend and wanted to show her how busy the lake was, waiting for fireworks.
Something has changed in me this summer. Maybe it’s because of a deep desire to use my phone less, and be more intentional about it when I do.
For a long time I’ve felt a need – an urgency even – to take pictures of ALL of the events in our lives, posting them to Facebook or Instagram THE DAY they happen. I want my distant family to watch my kids grow up. And I love opening the Timehop app and seeing what we did on this date in previous years.
But then Timehop also shows me how I used to do it. Before I had a smartphone. I actually had a real camera, and would upload an album to Facebook with ALL of the photos I had taken the entire month before.
It wasn’t real-time, but it still documented our lives.
This past week, I left my phone inside (intentionally? unintentionally? I’m not sure) when I could have been taking yet another cute picture of my 2-year-old playing in the sand or my 7-year-old jumping off the dock. And you know what? I was okay without it. I didn’t feel like I was missing an opportunity to share. I have plenty of pictures of them doing those things already. I simply sat and enjoyed the moment.
(I also felt no desire to take pictures of fireworks. There are plenty of those pictures out there, and I don’t think I will ever forget what they look like…)
That’s not to say I’m going to stop taking pictures altogether. There are definitely moments I do want to capture. Those “firsts” or achievements of my kids to share on Facebook and put in my yearly photo poster (a post about that will be coming soon), and those beautiful flowers and sunsets that might turn into a thoughtful Instagram post.
Rainbow!
And there are also plenty of times when other people are already taking the pictures for me.
I’m due for a phone upgrade this year, and I’m honestly torn about what to do. Part of me wants something with a better camera in it, for those moments when I do take pictures of events and beautiful things. But another part of me wants to downgrade to a non-smartphone, and also get a small point-and-shoot camera to keep with me for those moments instead.
I read some of Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism last spring, where he recommends taking a complete month off from all technology that is not work-related, and then slowly re-introducing things IF they fit with the life values you’ve identified during the month.
While the overall idea is very appealing to me, I keep getting tripped up on a couple of things: 1) How would I share with friends and family the achievements of my kids? 2) What if I needed to ask for advice? Or even just Google something? 3) If I want to work at this writing thing, I need to build my social media presence.
Now I’m thinking I should have digitally decluttered in June, since I haven’t been online much anyway…
As usual, I don’t have all of the answers. My tagline is seeking simplicity and rest, right? I’m in the middle of this journey too. But one thing I do know: It’s okay to put down your phone. Everyday moments don’t have to be captured digitally.
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