The Present is Now

by Dotti

The other evening when my husband and I went out for dinner, I saw this sign on the side of a store and I knew I had to snap it with my iPhone because it is the essence of my post today. Normally, I’d share this post on my personal blog but since my personal blog is on permanent hiatus, I’ll share it here. I always feel like I’m among friends here and I do think what I have to say is something you’ll all relate to. In fact, I know you will, because we’ve discussed it amongst ourselves many times here in our little FOL corner of the inter webs.

Last week we took our almost-annual beach vacation. Since our son-in-law wasn’t able to join us, we had our girls all to ourselves. It was delightful! Normally, my big girl camera is in tow with me everywhere I go but this year, I decided to pull back. Instead I made a conscious effort to take photos only of those places and activities that were important or special to us. I was not constantly pointing a lens in somebody’s face. Instead, I took the shots I wanted, then put the camera down, and enjoyed the present. The here. The now.

Yes, I took the obligatory photos of my granddaughter perfecting her boogie board skills (which I won't bore you with) as well as the beach scenes and coastal flowers and wildlife.

 But it was these photos of my girls that made the trip special.

A mother-daughter portrait while waiting for our delicious meal at a low country bistro.

This photo that perfectly captures the 8-year old personality of my granddaughter, the “now” that is her. In fact, today, June 15, she is now the ripe old age of 9. Can.you.believe.it? I can’t.

One of the things we love about our favorite beach is the nearby fruit and veggie stand. It is beautiful and awesome. One day when my husband and I were over there by ourselves, I just walked around taking photos. Bliss!

Another favorite is the little retail village just outside the island gate, filled with lovely boutique shops, a yummy ice cream shop and a pizza place that is always our first, and last, stop on the island. We’ve enjoyed many a scrumptious meal at this establishment.

And, of course, there was the obligatory sunset photo at the marina on the neighboring island.

However, there are far fewer photos in my Lightroom folder than usual after a trip. Embracing the idea that “living in the moment could be the meaning of life” enriched my beach vacation this year. Believe me, I still have enough photos to make a memory book, and although it won’t be as long as usual, it’s nice not to have to wade through hundreds of photos.

But the most important take away is embracing the moment. The here. The now. And I encourage you to do the same in your travels this summer.

PS - The other important thing I did, other than checking FOL each morning, was to limit my social media time. During our week at the beach, I spent almost no time on Instagram or Facebook. Not only was it relaxing, it served to help me keep my heart and mind anchored in "now".