As a full-time content creator and photographer, it’s my job to capture memories and write about them. As fun as that sounds, it also means that when we go on vacation, I am working at least 95% of the time.
I don’t get to be in the moment, enjoy my family, relax or have fun. I’m too busy worrying about missing the perfect photo or capturing the moment to share with a bunch of strangers on the internet.
I love my job, I really do. And I appreciate every single one of you that are reading this. But just like the people who have their phones in the air during concerts, I realized that I’m missing out on the experience of being in the moment.
When I booked our last vacation, I made a commitment to myself and my family that I would be more present and enjoy the time with them.
I can’t say it was easy. The content creator in me reached for my camera and phone pretty often. But the Mom in me remembered to put the camera away and capture those memories with my eyes. While I can’t show you those memories, they will forever live inside of my heart. They may be the best memories I’ve ever captured.
So, you won’t hear about the hotel we stayed at during our last vacation. You won’t know which hotel it was or what we liked and disliked about it.
You won’t hear about the restaurants we ate at or what we thought about the food.
You won’t hear about the activities that we took part in, the shops we visited, or what we purchased as a souvenir.
You won’t hear about the accommodations during our last vacation or how comfy the beds were or weren’t.
You won’t see images of the hotel or my kids having a blast at the pool. Though I did take photos, they were photos for us to remember, not so much for me to share (I will probably share a few on Instagram if I find that they bring me joy – but I don’t feel obligated to).
While I did have to get some work done our last vacation, since I have deadlines, I spent most of the 4 days and 3 nights with my family in a resort, eating good food, watching my kids have fun, and relaxing (something I haven’t done in so long, I almost forgot what it felt like).
I didn’t plan every single second, as I typically have to do, to make sure we’ve done everything I need to take pictures of. Reservations were the only thing that was set in stone our last vacation.
I didn’t stress out about what I had to do when we got home or the pile of work that may or may not be waiting for me. I barely even looked at my planner.
I had fun. I relaxed. I took in the giggles and the pure happiness in my daughters’ eyes. I allowed myself to stop worrying about content and start enjoying family.
And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Hopefully next time, in a bathing suit (but that’s a topic for another time).
good for you! not everything needs an audience or a public platform
I totally understand you and can relate with you on this, to be honest. There are some days where we just do blogs and review whenever we have vacations but sometimes I would love to just enjoy the moment without all that and just focus on the family and do it privately.
It can be hard to enjoy experiences when you have to document things to write about. Restaurant reviews are similar as you need to note flavours, smells, take images that look good all before the food gets cold.
I totally agree with you as I am on the same boat. I have some holidays which I do as reviews for the blog and there are some I just keep it private so that I don’t have to keep documenting our every step and it gives me a break too
I understand you, Just like me i valued more of the moment with my family. I’m glad you’re having a blast with your family. Being at the moment is a real treasure.
So with you on this, you definitely need that time to be with your family with no pressure!
I understand you and know what are you talking about. It’s important not only to capture the perfect photo, but to live the moment and leave memories to our kids!