Get in the damn photos

Last week on Tuesday, my Mom and I taught a workshop together on Clifton Strengths. It was our first time teaching together in a formal situation and as I put together the materials I wanted a photo of the two of us. I searched and searched and had a hard time finding any, but I knew I had at least one - but I didn’t catalogue it properly and I had a helluva time finding it. After a few hours (literally) I found it and it’s the image above. Mom and I laughed about how we don’t have many photos of the two of us - a photographer’s plight I suppose - but I told her I wanted more. It was like I knew something was coming.

Friday afternoon I got a call from my mom asking me to sit down. Which, when someone says that, you never actually want to sit down because immediately your fight or flight response kicks in and if you are sitting, it’s REALLY hard to run. She told me she had a 16” tumor in her reproductive system. If you read my instagram post I talked about it there, but hearing that news brings every shoulda, woulda, coulda to the front of your mind.

You know damned well for sure the next time we are together I will be taking pictures of us, even if both of us are kicking and screaming. While I love this image above I want more and I want more consistently to show what our relationship is like.

I want to use this scary time of my life to encourage you to get in front of the camera. I swear to God, your kids are not going to care what you look like. Your kids are not going to care that you have a double chin, a tum roll, cellulite, or acne. I know the world has made you feel like you don’t deserve to be in front of the camera because you might not measure up to some ridiculous beauty standard, but I am here to ask that you stop letting that beauty standard steal memories from you and your children. Please don’t wait.

I also want to use this time to encourage you to go to the doctor and advocate for your reproductive health. My mom was told she was fine by a different doctor a year ago - “just weight gain due to menopause” and thankfully she fought for herself enough to seek a second opinion and got a really great doctor to advocate for her. While the news wasn’t great, the respect of the doctor was.

So, here’s your homework for the month:
Take at least 1 picture with your family & book your annual physical!

You will thank me later.