Goal Post (ha)

[saffronhare]

In the last iteration of my "101 in 1001" goals, I wanted to take and share more pictures (especially with distant family). A cell phone that takes pictures and lets me email/post them immediately helped me succeed with that. But if we still lived in the days of having to bring a camera, remembering to take a picture, and then getting film developed? I would have FAILED.

The next level of that goal is on the list now: let people take more pictures of me, and share those too. It's no secret that I hate having my picture taken. Sure, it's distressing that I look more and more like my father every year, but I've never been under the illusion that I'm a great beauty. It really boils down to being ferociously uncomfortable with being on display, either in life or in pictures. (Somehow, performing is different. I don't understand why.) But then I read a story somebody posted about somebody else on Facebook, and my family agreed with the premise: if something horrible and final were to happen to me, they wouldn't have any pictures of me. at. all.

I've always worked hard to participate in the lives of my kids...to be present and active. So now I'm going to let the visual chronicles of that match the memories. The goal is to really make sure to share at least one photo of me each month of the next 1001 days (give or take), whether it's the much-maligned selfie, a picture I don't run away from, or whatever.

Comments

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

I am glad you are making this a goal. When my brother, who hated pictures taken of him, passed away unexpectedly, we really had to struggle to find pictures of him to post on the slideshow the funeral home offered. And then, even more oddly, because he was an organ donor, we were frequently asked for pictures of him by the organization that handled his organs so they could include him in the annual memory book, websites, a Rose Bowl Parade float, etc. A recipient even did a pencil sketch of him from one of the pictures. These are things that I am holding in trust for his daughter now, that I hope someday she will cherish. But finding pictures of him, smiling, without a hand in front of his face or a tongue stuck out or too dark or too...whatever, became a source of stress for his family in the year following his death. I went through the same thing with Mom, to a lesser extent, but at least without the need for LifeShare pictures. Still, some of the pictures in her slideshow were shamefully out of date.

That was a really long comment to say thank you. On behalf of your family, thank you.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

This one I probably need to add. Ugh. Don't wanna.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I can't remember if you're okay with cussing on your LJ, so I'll just say EFF THOSE A-HOLES who denigrate selfies and those who take them. We live in a culture that constantly bombards us about how we're not pretty enough, skinny enough, perfect enough, anything enough, and then when someone has the confidence to take and post pictures of herself, she's called an attention whore. NICE, RIGHT?

So you develop those selfie skills like a beast, girl. I look forward to seeing lots of photos of you from now on. YES YES.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I am very fucking okay with cussing on my LJ. Thank you. :)

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

#Like