In some of the down time I had over the holidays I took a look back at 2016. The biggest thing that stood out was my lack of blog and photo posts once my 365 project completed last April … there were less than 20. That’s not to say that I didn’t post on Instagram and Facebook, but this space is where I keep the forever records of our family. I think there was a combination of burn out on photography, exhaustion with social media and just general lack of motivation overall that contributed to this. I was tired. I was lazy. I just didn’t feel like it.
It makes me sad. And really frustrated with myself. There were so many moments that I wished I had taken the time to write down. So many magical opportunities where I could be chasing the light and documenting the growth of my children – my whole family – with my camera. That is what fulfills me and it has been missing for too long.
I have read several blogs that suggest instead of a resolution, you pick a word to live your year by. I put a lot of thought into where I am in life right now mentally, physically and emotionally and tried to take into consideration what I already know is in store for 2017. So here it is…
per·se·ver·ance
1. steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success
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This is a big word. One that is all encompassing and is hard to wrap my head around. One that throws the instant gratification driving most of us right out the window. Perseverance looks at the long haul … the whole journey … acknowledges the difficulty but also the achievement. There are so many things that are happening in 2017 that will need this word whispering in the wind for me and for my family, that constant soft reminder to focus on the task in front of you, get it done, then focus on the next no matter how hard or how much you don’t feel like it. Those become the building blocks of the greater whole. And dad, this word is one that WE will live by this year and beyond.
So to kick off perseverance, I will be creating a photo journal for 2017. It will be a combination of a 365 project posted weekly and longer blog posts on what we are doing or what I might be experimenting with photographically. But mainly it will be about the life of our family in general, even if it is only my parents who read it. And I will get it printed. Because the 20K photos that I have over the last ten years have hardly been seen and it is time to have tangible results that my boys can flip through.
Here is a fitting photo I took of Gavin just before New Years. The light was so gorgeous coming through the window and I asked him to give me a crazy face and this is what I got. This year will definitely have some daunting challenges, but I believe in perseverance. And I believe in myself and the people I love. So bring it on 2017.
