January 2025: Taking Inventory

Ahhh, the start of a new year! 

For many of us, that brings a plethora of emotions, fresh starts, resolutions, and intentions, along with to-do lists. 

As we close out and reflect on 2024, let us take inventory of the highs, the lows, and the in-betweens. I like what Mel Robbins suggests. (I literally cannot get enough of her wisdom). To reflect on the previous year, she said just scroll through your camera roll. So, go on. I give you permission to grab your phone and scroll away through the photos and videos of last year. What did those moments include? Was it full of stuff? I would bet that most of your favorite moments included people, places, and experiences.

Isn't it true? We have the convenience and luxury of documenting special moments with ease. For most of us, gone are the days of purchasing film and waiting a week to get it developed - only to find that for $10.99 you have a handful of decent photos out of your entire roll of 24 images. And if you're anything like me, with the ease of our cameras on our phones, I make sure to take several shots of more or less the same thing just to be sure we hopefully have one great image out of the bunch. There always seems to be one (or more) that someone’s eyes are closed or the dog isn’t positioned quite right.  

I might be an organizer, but I’m not perfect.  Here’s a not so secret inside scoop about me. My car and my digital spaces are often the zones that get neglected. They can sometimes be complete chaos. But when I travel, I often use time spent sitting on a plane to clean up my digital chaos.  I scroll through my camera roll and delete those multiple shots that didn't turn out so great. Thankfully, there’s a full-service car wash nearby and I have a few tech experts that I literally hand my laptop, phone, and all things digital to make order. 

What’s on your camera roll?  What are some of the highlights that were lucky enough to be documented this year? Did you have a memorable dinner with family or a fun getaway with friends?  Or better yet did you capture something seemingly small like a stunning wildflower on a hike? 

This Christmas, my middle daughter asked for our home movies from when the kiddos were young to be digitized.  What a gift it turned out to be for us all.  The toothless smiles, the sibling play, and the precious little voices practicing for the school play and singing nursery rhymes were a delight.  

So, here’s to reflection, looking ahead, showing up imperfectly wonderful and planning for more moments that are a delight to review on our camera rolls.