Need a reason to document a day in your life?? I've got FIVE good ones for you today and I bet you will be charging your cameras and cleaning off your memory cards in about 2 seconds flat if you make it all the way to the end of this post!
If you've been wanting to record a day in the life, now is the time! Ali Edwards' will be completing her second DITL of 2016 this Saturday and I totally encourage you to check it and play along! I've captured and recorded a single day for the past five years along with Ali (and on my own a few times) and the photos and memories are some of my very favorite. But the pictures....oh.my.gosh. They make me cry the ugly cry every.single.time. As much as I would like to think I remember everything, I just don't. Waaahh. I hate it, but it's true. We just can't remember it all, so thank heavens for cameras and notes and the stuff of life.
So here ya go, friends! My five awesome reasons for picking up your camera and being the crazy lady in Target snapping photos as your kids run down the aisles!
Number one: Life goes so quickly.
Oh man does it ever. You know that saying "the days are long, but the years are short"? So flippin' true. I swear it was just yesterday that my son was in his crib sucking on his 400 pacifiers. I miss those cute little cheeks and chubby fingers and how he always had at least three pacifiers on him at any time. One in the mouth, two in the hand. Sigh. My ovaries kind of hurt now. Ok, sorry, I digress…
But seriously, though. Life is too short. The things that you think you'll remember this year will be soon replaced with memories from next year and the year after and the year after. Taking a moment to record the here and now is incredibly priceless. Just scroll back through your photos on your phone… You'll see what I'm talking about!
Number two: You can view your world from a different perspective.
Fun fact. At least once a day I yell and scream at my kids under my breath (obviously...I'm not THAT mean). Yep… At least once a day. Spilled milk, skidmarks in underwear, and messes everywhere are enough to make me batty most days. Looking at your life through the lens, however, gives you a new perspective on things. It gives you a minute just sit back, observe, and laugh about these moments that will soon be long gone and long forgotten. I'm not saying that it's any less obnoxious when that second glass of milk spills on the floor, but at least my camera gives me a reason to enjoy that moment and record it!
Number three: You become a part of the picture.
If you're snap happy like me, you are usually behind the camera, not in front of it. I'll be the first one to raise my hand and admit that I don't like being in front of the camera. I feel awkward and weird and ugh... It's just bad y'all.
But… I know that my kids could care less, and down the road these will be photos that we will cherish, so I make a conscious effort to stick my happy face in some photos (and snap pics of my husband too, because he hates the camera maybe more than I do). Most of the shots with me have been taken around these day in the life or week in the life projects. And I'm totally fine with that! These are great opportunities for us to remember to let our hair down, and get crazy with our kids. This is real life, people. Record it!!
Number four: Things stay the same, but different at the same time.
It always surprises me every year I complete this project that many things stayed the same, but with a new life. Anna has been an avid book lover since she was a teeny, tiny, cute, little, skinny baby. Her love for books has never changed. Every year I take part in this project I snap a picture of Anna reading some type of book. I love how that one aspect of our lives has stayed the same, but has evolved in so many different ways.
This project is a great way to celebrate those little things of life. The things that are the same. The things that make us who we are.
Number five: You create a time capsule of your story.
Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone. Good, bad, ugly, silly… You have a story to tell! So tell it. Grab your camera, snap away, and document the memories of your days. Then do it again the next year! I promise you won't regret it. Ever ever ever.
Recording your everyday? Sounds a little scary right? I mean, the house isn't clean and there's laundry on the floor! But that's a-ok! That's the beauty of YOUR life and your day! This project can be whatever you want to make it. The most important thing is to tell your story and record those fleeting moments of life. So are you in? Hope so!