Do you have stuff on your to do list or that others are on at you to do?
Self care is always on my to do list but something else trumps it most times even though I know how vital it is. Subsequently I’m not getting value for money with my gym membership and I can get to the middle of the day without having any water! Likewise if my better half has to remind me again to get the hair dye marks off the bathroom wall I’ll go insane or he will for that matter! Part of the reason for this is time. A huge lack of it. Or to put it more bluntly, I choose to prioritise other things!
Experience tells me that we are all in the same boat
Especially heightened for people with children! Time passes in a heartbeat and we cannot freeze those precious moments that come and go in a heartbeat. Rituals change, stories pass and events whizz by before the next one starts. Children grow up, new patterns emerge and before we know it we are saying that stereotypical “how are we so far in the year?”
To tell you the truth, I have the upmost respect for one of my most regular clients, Suzie. Celebrating key milestones in her life, regardless of the craziness of everyday life remain a priority. Planning ahead and making sure she captures precious moments makes for one clever lady. There is no such thing as a perfect house, perfectly tidy with children on form 24/7, it doesn’t exist! There is always something that most of us aren’t quite happy with – our weight, our hair colour, our wardrobe, our lack of energy or sleep, the list goes on but let me tell you, there isn’t a perfect time to have professional photos taken.
Consequently it would have been really easy for her to not get around to a cake smash for her second child but oh no, not Suzie!
The proof is in the pudding….
Here’s what she had to say when I asked her why, despite the craziness of life, she still managed to keep family photography at the heart of her life:
“Photos are what we love and because we did a cake smash for our first born, I would have had serious mum guilt if I didn’t do it for second! I definitely dreaded the state of my house but I’ve known Bev a long time and know she doesn’t judge my mess which we just worked around.
On the day I felt tired (standard for me at the moment!) and I was sure that my second child would have been much more into the cake, but she was exactly the same as my first, like a delicate little flower but it was worth it because we got some really lovely pictures of both of them.’
In my opinion
Photography is the beautiful bridge that links all of the above. Pressing pause to celebrate life now, whatever it looks like, in whatever form, in its entirety and authenticity is one of the most beautiful thing you could ever posses and keep for life. Regret can be a terrible thing so don’t wish you could turn back the clock and capture that moment, all of you together. Please don’t.
