Last month, I had some out of town guests, and we had brunch together. At the end of the meal, we asked the server if she would take our photo. She held up my phone to do that and then said, “Oh, it’s pretty backlit.”
“That’s okay,” we said, “It doesn’t have to be Insta good.” (That is, shareable on Instagram)
“Oh, this one’s for the mems!” she answered. We smiled at that phrase, and I’ve been using it ever since. Yes, this one’s for the mems — we’re capturing a snapshot of the memories we’re making right now, and with gratitude.
Lately, I’ve been wondering, “Am I sharing an obnoxious amount of happy photos on social media?”
You know what I mean, right?
Social media gives off a certain air that every single thing is rosy and literally picture-perfect. Most people share the best moments of their lives — not the explosion of frustration upon spilling coffee on new shirts, not the moments of running late, not the frenetic work schedule, not the moments of yelling at our kids and regretting it, not the moments of loneliness or existential fear.
We don’t always share those. But we know those moments are there behind the scenes, right?
They are.
They’re in my life too.
But my goodness, pre-vaccination lockdown was so extremely isolating for such an expansive amount of time. All I want to do is see loved ones and make memories.I long for that. And some part of me needs to capture those moments, you know?
For the mems.
–Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 