Before the pandemic, getting to go out with friends and be in big groups of people without any worry was almost second nature to us. I know for me, the freedom to go out with no restraints made it so that I didn’t take those outings as seriously, thus never feeling the need to document them.

Because of this, I was more of a “living in the moment” type of person and would maybe only take a small handful of photos in any given setting. Those photos in question were usually taken at an event or milestone of some kind.

Once the pandemic hit, like everyone else I was presented with more free time than I could handle.

While aimlessly scrolling through my camera roll trying to make albums for a scrapbook, I noticed there were lots of friends, events, and places I visited frequently not present within those photos. Or at least not what I was hoping.

I think because I always assumed I’d have those experiences again or I would see those people in a matter of days or I would visit that place again soon, documenting it for my memory wasn’t as significant to me.

With that, for 2022 I challenge you to take more pictures. Take more pictures of your friends. Take more pictures of your family. Take more pictures of your pets. Take more pictures of the city or countryside when you’re walking through it. Take more pictures of small things that you find interesting. You never know if what you take in that moment will be useful to you later in some aspect of your life.

I know for me, looking back on good memories and things that bring me joy helps with the anxiety that the bad times bring. It also helps me look forward to and be more patient for when things get better.

I also know it can be easier to recall the bad times than the good ones. Having snapshots of the latter keeps those good memories and feelings alive.

As people have been getting vaccinated and places have gradually started to open up more, life we knew before the pandemic seems to get closer and closer within our grasp each day. But we’re not in the clear yet.

Even when we get back to what we had been accustomed to before all this, I still challenge you to take the time to cherish and document the time you share with people as well as all the other important aspects of your life. We never know when our lives may be put on hold.