A Moment Too Precious for a Picture
I love going to a child’s first birthday party, and not for the reason you’re thinking. Sure, I care about the little ankle-biter but the entertainment for the day is mom and dad.
It’s like watching a SWAT team clear a house during a drug raid. Such precision, agility, and acumen to the task at hand. Although, instead of being armed with semi-automatic assault rifles. The weapon of choice, the iPhone.
Some parents choose to deholster from the back pocket and some navigate the scene like clearing a street in Kabul, weapon in ready position, trigger finger trained for the seal team six double-tap.
Not to worry my first-time birthday soldiers. You always have grandma on high cover ready to snipe that moment you didn’t see with a camcorder.
But sometimes we see the shot, it’s our moment, close enough to switch to portrait mode, do I dare? “Dang, I can’t get the menu up”, moment lost.
My absolute favorite maneuver after a missed shot is what I like to call the “last supper”. Like Spielberg on a Hollywood set, the parents reposition kids like prop trees that cannot stand still, only to fail miserably.
Finally to end the day with a stunning sunset photo of the backyard and a half-drunk dad cleaning up the carnage from the day’s activities. Perfect for the tired mom’s Instagram story, #nofilter.
Sometimes, there are moments that are so special a picture cannot do them justice. These moments are for you and your memory alone.I hope we all can spend a little more time looking for these. It was 3 AM this morning and I got one.
Today is day 12 out of the past 30 days we have been at CHOA with Drew. The hospital during the holidays is a difficult place to be.
The night before was a rough one for Drew, we planned on history repeating itself tonight.As I lay in my semi reclinable chair next to him, I thought to myself, “I am exhausted, is this the end of my rope”?
The simple answer is there is no end to your rope. Look around, walk down to the lobby, you will see some ropes that could tie down a cruise ship.At 3 am I hear Drew say “daddy, come lay with me”. Absolutely, I get in his bed, his face silhouetted by this awkward green light from all of the monitors as he drifts back to sleep. It was perfect.
My moment, no iPhone could do it justice.