Right here, right now

I recently signed up for Instagram. Yeah, I’m kinda late catching the wave on that one. But, since getting on Instagram, it seems like my mind is always turning. I am constantly looking for a picture that is just right to share with my followers. Is that “Instagram worthy?” “P is so cute right now, I better run and get my phone!” So when this next moment happened, I feel I learned a lesson.

Last night there was a big thunderstorm that rolled in about 8pm. I was about to put P to bed, but he was so intrigued by the thunder that we went outside. Daddy was gone, so it was just me and him. I was sitting on the driveway; P nestled in my lap. We sat there in relative silence, except for P’s outbursts of excitement as we saw the lightning light up the sky and heard the boom of thunder.

As I was enjoying myself, I realized this was one of those “picturesque” moments. The thought crossed my mind to run and get my phone. But, I could barely finish the thought before I realized, NO. Not now. I want to be right here, right now. Some moments are just too special to catch on a camera. I would have to have had to get up, go find my phone, and then try a few different angles to get the right lighting. Not to mention, my mind would have been on almost everything, except this beautiful experience.

So, I sat, and I just enjoyed. The moment lingered on in one of the most fulfilling ways. Usually when I am trying to capture something on camera, it seems the moment passes too quick! P will stop doing whatever it was that was cute, before I was able to get a good enough picture. But, this time, I just soaked it up.

So here is my simple post, with no picture, because the moment was just too special to be captured. But don’t worry, it is still in my heart and I’ve been reliving it all day.

How do you balance the good of social media and photography, as well as simply living in the right here, right now?