Picture Perfect

Do you remember Paul Simon? He wrote a song quite a while back, and called it 'Kodacrome'. Kodacrome is a color chemical process for developing film that Kodak retired in June of 2009. He made big bucks off that song; who would've figured. He's written lots of songs that never seem to go out of style. But this one always catches my attention.


All the song talked about were the memories that he kept sharp by being able to see pictures of his friends. It makes a great point. In our fast paced society, we see everything go by so quickly, that pictures are really the only way to capture a moment.

We all know grandparents who keep a running total of pictures around of their beautiful grand-babies. I myself recently encountered a happy parent carrying Easter pictures of her one year old. It used to be a big thing to have a picture of someone to show off, but now it is pretty much common place. So much so, that we often brush off the thought of sitting down to look at slides of vacations, picture albums, and family videos that aren't of one's immediate family. But people still spend great amounts of money to have pictures made, and to buy video equipment to use and show off. However, not everyone wants to rush over and see the seven hour video made of someone else's trip to the beach in the middle of July.

You know, the video with the bad hotel, the friend riding a donkey down the walls of the Grand Canyon, and the bad sunburn. The one no one wants to see, because it reminds them of all the bad vacations they ever took.

As a society I think we really have come up with some inventive ways to hold a moment, and the methods keep changing rapidly. It used to be bronze baby shoes, homemade picture frames and 8 millimeter film, now it's camcorders, flower frames made in China, and computer enhanced family photos.

Sometimes I feel as if the more money we spend on such things, the worse off we are. But no matter how much I feel that way, you know I wouldn't trade the results for anything in the world.

Once, a long time ago they quilted family history into blankets for future generations to remember. Now we weave on a plastic loom that holds actual images of family. I can't help but wonder what technology will come up with next.