Moments of gratitude
Have you ever thought about what will happen to our memories and photos when hard drives are stolen, technology fails us, and we can no longer keep up with the times? Are you a firm believer of making hard copies of photos? I am now. My grandma was right when she asked, "What ya gonna do when the phone doesn't work?" That's right...I’m wondering…what ARE we gonna do?
Yeah, that happened.
August 21, 2016 at 11:43pm - Bragaw Residence Hall
I'm currently sitting in my room on a Sunday night contemplating my thoughts and feelings. The Facebook status above explains my predicament but I'm not 100% sure how I feel about what happened. I just lost over 6 years of precious data from my previous computer. Not just countless projects that I worked my butt off for, but memories captured through photos that I will probably never get back. I just lost over 80gb worth of music and I don't even want to begin to think about how many pictures I lost from all of my travels. The feeling that took over my body when I first realized my files were gone was overwhelmingly overwhelming. (Yes, I just used the same word twice. That's just how I felt.) My body became hot, my muscles tensed, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Why didn't I open the hard drive on another computer to confirm that all of my files were in fact there? Why did my computer lie to me and say that it had successfully transferred the files? *deep sighs of agony* We all make simple mistakes but sometimes those mistakes hurt. I guess the best thing about mistakes is that we can always learn from them. I don't know how the feelings of anger, frustration, and sadness left my mind. I'm assuming it's just a numbing sensation like Novocaine that accompanies the first stage of grief: denial. I'm in denial that I no longer have my prom pictures, nor my precious Jodeci albums. It hasn't really hit me that I will no longer be able to look back at pictures taken with friends that are no longer here with me. Denial or not, I'm thankful for this moment. Although I don't have the recollection of my life through my camera lens, I still have my health. I am alive and breathing. I am sane. I have my family. I have my friends. And I still have the pictures that remain on my cellphone (which are being printed by the way - I don't trust myself with technology anymore). In moments like these, I find myself extremely blessed because I was born with a gift that my dad likes to call gullibility. I'm a hopeless optimist. I always try to find the good in everyone and everything - and because of that, I can find the good in losing what I thought meant the world to me. Today's memo in my inspiration journal rests the thought that "I am grateful that my happiness is not determined by material possessions." My treasures on earth can be replaced. I have peace knowing that I will get the chance to make more beautiful memories. Memories that will be captured, backed up twice, AND printed for photo albums that I will hoard until the day I die :)
Sincerely, Takira
11:56pm
