Photos: Capturing Your Legacy
How long do you keep photos? Are they on your phone? In organized albums? In boxes somewhere? My sister recently cleaned out a storage unit, and gave me a huge bin—3 feet by 4 feet—labeled “Mimi.” It’s full of albums and hundreds of loose photos of my career, and the people close to me at every time. It feels like reuniting with long-lost friends.
What am I to do with them? I easily discarded the ones of people whose names I cannot remember. But I cannot throw away photos of me throughout my life. At first, I thought it had something to do with throwing away the souls of the people in the picture. Then I did some research. I found out that long ago, many Native Americans were wary of having their photographs taken and often refused. They believed the process could steal a person’s soul and disrespected the spiritual world. So it was the TAKING of the photo that could steal one’s soul. There is nothing written about the KEEPING of photos, except our own traditions and superstitions. So what about all these photos that have been in this huge bin for years? Our family has kept them, moved them across the country, and paid for storage units to house them. I can’t remember the last time we looked at them—till now.
So I have spent many days looking though them and started organizing them chronologically. Does this make me happy? Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard professor, defines happiness as “enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning.” Does looking at these photos and sharing them with others make me happy? Yes, it does. My dad carried in his wallet his favorite quote, on a piece of paper that he had laminated. It said, “Happiness is not having what you want—it’s wanting what you have.”
That’s my answer. A photo is a snapshot of a memory we HAVE. It reminds us of a moment in time we thought it was important enough to capture and remember. So these photos bring me enjoyment, satisfaction and meaning.
Now, what to do with these albums and hundreds of loose photos spread out on every surface and chair in my apartment? I will find a place for them. They are my legacy. Legacy is defined as “the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life.”
These are the memories worth keeping. Each one leads to the person I am today, and what I do to make a difference in the world. These photos are my legacy, that impacted my mission to draw out your words, so you know who you are, and can claim your power and place in the world.
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