“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”
― Alexander Pope

Expectations.

I think it is fair to note that we all have them.  We have them for love. For family. For work. For friendships.  For dinner recipes, diets, weddings, trips to the beach, walks with the dog and trips to the grocery store.  We have them for everything.

Photography is unfortunately no stranger to expectation.  On your end, you plan your day, you invest your money, you pick your outfit, you style your hair, you plan haircuts, brings snacks, check the weather, try on seven pairs of shoes, plan your route, fight traffic, and fight nerves.

 

And then the big day comes. But you are met with an October blizzard.  And just like that your plan has a thorn.

 

And then the big day comes again, and now your little has a cold.  And your normally happy-go-lucky little man is struggling to find the smiles that usually come so easily to him.  And no matter how many times you say cheese, you cannot seem to find the smile you planned on.

Here is what happens to the expectations on my end.

Absolutely nothing.  As I age behind my lens I find that my heart is eager to fight the expectations that I used to have.  With you by my side, I feel confident to let it roll. To know that whatever happens, happens.  I pray for the intercession to see you from above. To see you through the love that you have for each other and to enjoy the unplanned. This unplanned messy, raw, living moment is what I love. What captivates me.  And I just hope and pray that when you see these, you see that same beautiful sight.

 

What I see when I see you in this moment, is love. I see memories of my own little men being a whole lot littler and I remember their runny noses.   I see you doing everything you can to make him happy.  Carrying him when your arms are tired.  Juggling choo-choos.  Tossing him in the air. And then finally, like placing the star on top of the Christmas Tree, you win the smile you worked so hard for. The love you have for him, the parents you are, makes my heart skip beats.

 

I humbly stand and reminisce. Being at the hands of a two year old has the ability to change my heart from heavy to happy.  To be adventuring in the direction he wants to travel reminds me of the goodness of simplicity. To see fuzzy things in the grass for the first time reminds me of the things I am missing.  It makes me so happy to have the plans break, because when the plans we make are broken our life is right there. Right in front of us, begging to be lived. And it is so much better when you just live it, without the weight of expectation.  You suddenly have your own story, your own memory and your own moment that bleeds into the creation of  your very own photos that cannot be remade or mimicked no matter how many times they are re-pinned on Pinterest.  I hope when you see your story, your moments,  you feel that pride and joy too.

 

So here is cheers to two. To love. To family. To broken plans. To stories that are yours and only yours.

 

And to you, thank you. thank you. thank you.

 

xoxo

Lampstand