So. Many. Photos.

Playdates with Death™ is here to help!

If someone were to scroll through the camera roll on your phone, what would they find? Seriously. Go look. What are your last 25 pictures?

Here’s a sample of mine:

Images (clockwise from upper left): Queen Anne’s Lace in my front yard; Me tubing on the river near Oregon, IL; Our happy cat, Goose; Sushi rolls; Kids and I at a White Sox game (spoiler: they lost…); The shop vac deets so I could find the right filter bags. In the middle is my current favorite bad, hilarious joke/pun.

The technical term for this chaos is “hot mess.” Painfully, it’s a window into the entirety of my digital photo library - and I left out all the pictures of my thumbs and random screen shots.

September’s community playdate takes on digital photos, and I am cautiously optimistic. I’ve tried before.

This project is a confrontation with:

• my own perfectionism

• grief over persons that are gone and chapters of life that are over

• technology frustrations, and

• big questions about what is truly important to me and the story of my life.

It’s one part decluttering, one part storytelling, and one part existential showdown. All of which are better in community so I’m sharing my top reasons for taking on this project in the hope that they will convince you to join in!

1. Yes, there may be some grief and loss to confront, but joy and love are close by. Shaking hands with grief is worth getting to dance with joy and love.

2. When I die, pictures will likely be shared. I’d like to curate some - like ones from my summer of beekeeping with Bike A Bee. I’m not sure anyone would know how formative that summer was; I would like it to be part of my story.

Image of me holding a frame with bees during an apprenticeship with the one and only Jana Kinsman, Bike a Bee

3. I could share these photos and memories now. Not long ago a college friend sent me this throwback pic from our Luther College days, and it was a delight! (Yes, invoke Ross Gay here.) I could bring that bit of sunshine to my loved ones, too.

Image of Luther College friends at graduation.

4. I want my kids to have these photos as part of knowing who they are, where they’ve come from, and how they’ve been formed. These photos can be part of the story that helps shape their own story.

   Do these reasons resonate? Are there other reasons motivating you?

   If yes, join the community playdate on September 7 at 10am CST.

   RSVP below. Hope to see you there!