Angling my body so I can see between the two heads in front of me, I ready the camera.  Staring steadily through the viewfinder, finger hovering over the trigger, I anxiously await my chance for the perfect photo op.  Suddenly, one of the heads in front of me shifts and blocks my view.  As I scramble to locate a new opening through which to aim my camera, those around me spontaneously burst into a round of applause and I have no idea why.  My anxiety turns to anger as I realize my efforts to capture a future memory have only resulted in my missing out on what is going on right in front of me in the here and now.

This scene has played out for me on numerous occasions.  In the church sanctuary during my children’s music programs.  On the sidelines at their sporting events.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am truly thankful we live at a time in which we have the means to document our experiences in the form of photos and videos that we can fondly look back on for years to come.  As a matter of fact, the photos we take ourselves tend to be much more meaningful since they result from a personal experience.

Take, for example, a photo of the Statue of Liberty.  A photo taken personally is likely to hold more meaning than the image of it pictured in a travel guide or even one shared by an acquaintance because of the memories it brings to mind of the trip on which the photo was taken.

The challenge I face has nothing to do with the desire to record the moment.  It has more to do with the idea that there are times when I become so caught up in capturing a memory that, rather than fully and freely experiencing the events while they are taking place, I end up a detached spectator who is simply witnessing the events through the lens of a camera.

I have also come to realize it is not just the camera lens that holds me captive.  I also miss out on the moment when viewing life through the wrong lens in general.  There are two in particular that keep me from experiencing the joy of the here and the now.

The first is the lens of high expectation through which I’ve tried to recreate a past experience or attempted to manipulate the current circumstance toward a personally desired outcome.  There is also the lens of false expectation through which I’ve let the views of others overly influence my outlook on the experience.

In both cases, rather than appreciating the experiences for what they are, I become disappointed that they did not live up to the expectations I envisioned and the resulting memories are not exactly what I had imagined or hoped for.

Ultimately, I have come to discover the most memorable moments occur we set aside the lens, break free from the chains of expectation and simply let life happen… and take the time to enjoy it while it’s happening.

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