Look Where You Started…
Sometimes it’s easy to forget where we’re going, and even easier to forget where we came from.
We get so caught up in living day to day life, sometimes the stress can overwhelm us and we focus on the “right now” rather than the bigger picture. There are so many things that factor into a person’s life and reactivity; their job, their home, their bills, their family, their children, or even just what is happening in the world around them. As a mother of four, and a newborn & child photographer, having young kids, especially multiple close in age, you may forget or forgo thinking about thriving, and just have to focus on surviving. I tell my clients, they’re in the “thick of parenthood”- those early stages where it feels overwhelming and rewarding but also you wonder how you can get through it. I remember those days, but as my children are getting older (15, 14, almost 12 and almost 7) I find my memory of those early days fading. Things I had to constantly worry about before are no longer on my list of worries, but a new list is emerging. One that’s exciting and terrifying, letting go. Although they’re still young teens, the idea of letting go a bit is terrifying. I mean, have you seen what it’s like for social media, high school and the lives they are experiencing? I thank my stars there weren’t smart phones in every aspect of my life and face when I was a teenager, yikes!
So it’s a dance, one of keeping them safe, teaching them safety, understanding the workings of social media, highschool and teenager brains, and letting them grow, find out who they are, make their own choices and learn from their experiences
You can even think of a hair journey, you can love where you were, and love where you are and marvel at the journey in between! .
While I’m not in the “thick of it” with young toddlers & babies anymore- I am reminded of those days through friends and family as well as my clients who bring their newborns and families to me to photograph. In my mind, it’s a great thing to be reminded of; those moments in the past that you thought were so difficult or so much work.. And not just with children, with any aspect of life. A job, a career change, money, buying or renting a home, family life, friends, all the things that happen to you or to others.
Why? Because sometimes when you’re no longer in the midst of it, have come through it and are on to the next chapter, your memory of what it was like begins to fade. Being reminded of what it was like when you were in the middle of it, gives you a chance to reflect on where you are right now. Maybe, just maybe, it can help you appreciate what you might have taken for granted, or just a boost to remind you of how far you have come and that you deserve recognition. (even if that’s just you recognizing and appreciating yourself!). It doesn’t mean that those moments were not hard, they were! But it is a chance to remember what changed.
I’ve found as I got older, maybe a little wiser, that appreciating and recognizing your own accomplishments, no matter how big or how small, can do WONDERS for you in this moment. Looking back, seeing the life events that happened that I KNOW I wondered how I could ever get through, and seeing that I DID get through now….it’s a reminder to be nicer to myself and whatever situation might be happening. Because every day you have, its a reminder of just how amazing you are and can be. Be gentle with yourself, and remember you;ve made it through everything
I’ve been with Bounce since November 2017, and even for us, our growth hasn’t been linear. It’s been up and down and learning and changes (so, so many changes!) but without remembering where we started, it’s easy to get lost in the present.
When Bounce first opened at it’s first location on Windermere Rd
Bounce’s 2nd location on Wyandotte
Bounce now, at our current location of 1645 Wyandotte St East, second floor
You can equally love how it started, just as much as it finished, even if they’re wildly different.
Just don’t forget to appreciate where you were and the journey you’ve taken to get to today and know that the journey never really ends, it’s just changes.
