Revive25 in 2025: Revive Sky Memories

The 5th mini project for my Revive25 in 2025 Project is to revive sky memories. 

With the lunar eclipse on March 21st, I wondered when I began noticing and appreciating beauty in the sky. What were my oldest photos and memories? By looking back, I could then look forward to appreciate more sky moments. Could they be recreated intentionally or did they happen by coincidence or synchronicity?

I thought I had seen a lunar eclipse before and also wanted to remember the story details of the comet I saw in the late 1990's, so I went searching through my photo albums and digital photo collection. The earliest sky photo I found is of a rainbow I took in high school. I think this is perhaps common with everyone that when we had film cameras, we didn't waste photos by taking them of the sky. A rainbow was extra special. 

I have often heard that when we inherit photos, we should get rid of landscapes, places and things. It's the people photos that are most important. That may be true, but I think that photos of places and things also tell the story of who the person was and what they loved.

Many of my earlier sky photos were taken on holiday. Growing up in northern Ontario or living in Toronto, I didn't necessarily notice the sky on a daily basis. I have photos taken from 22nd floor condo view of Lake Ontario when I first moved to Toronto, but not many from just being out.

On our honeymoon, we went down to the beach in the evening with a bottle of champagne. The half moon was so bright and beautiful, we took photos of each other on the beach, zooming out to capture the moon in the background. We also enjoyed the sunsets on that trip. 

On future Caribbean trips, we loved the sunrises and sunsets. I went down to a pier to capture the sunrise every morning on our trip to Jamaica in 2012. Being close to the horizon when the sun is rising or setting, it appears much larger than it does after it has risen above the buildings in Toronto.

These views helped me appreciate the beauty of the sky but if we see it every day, it can stop being special. There's a full moon every month. Some are closer to the earth and called supermoons, but I think seeing it every month, it can stop being special. I love seeing full moons not too often and not too rarely. It's a fine line of how often we want to experience these events.

It's easier today with social media and the news reporting when upcoming eclipses, supermoons and nothern lights are happening. 

Anticipating the lunar eclipse, I thought I had seen one before. I wanted to connect these past moments that may have been lost in the clutter of photo collections and photo albums. I found my terrible photos taken with my point and shoot camera from the 2008 lunar eclipse on February 20th. Having a better camera now, I hoped to take better photos. 

Knowing the lunar eclipse totality would peak at 3am, my husband set up the camera settings before we went to bed so that I could capture the various phases of the eclipse. (He captured the bottom right photo of the quad at this time). I took the other three after totality. The auto setting captured the orange or "blood" moon we could see, but his manual settings captured the shadow beautifully. 

My plan was to wake at 2:30pm, experience the blood moon during totality then go back to bed at 3:30pm. It was still beautiful at 3:30, the orange was still visible as it appeared three quarter orange as the shadow moved away from totality, and then half orange.

Before going back inside, beautiful spiral clouds appeared. I wondered for quite a while if it was the beginning of Northern Lights. Once when I saw the Northern Lights, it began with rainbow shaped clouds. I was in awe of the clouds and didn't know whether to look at the lunar eclipse or the clouds. 

I stayed up much later than I planned, which helped me capture the phases of totality. 

The next day, I saw on a Northern Lights site that there had been Northern Lights during the lunar eclipse, so perhaps the very light green tinge on some photos were part of a very faint aurora. Either way, the sky was spectacular.

Another pivotal moment I wanted to connect that gave me a love of the night sky was in Sedona in 2015 for my husband's business reward trip. The company organized an astronomy evening where astronomers brought their huge telescopes into a field and gave us a lesson on the night sky. We loved looking at the planets and stars through the telescope; even seeing Jupiter's rings. My husband managed to get an amazing night sky photo including a satellite trails and the milky way.

Sedona has a dark sky designation, meaning they have regulations that limit light pollution so it's an amazing place to see the night sky. Connecting this memory is inspiring me to experience the night sky again in these low light pollution places.

I remember the first partial solar eclipse I witnessed in 2017. The Ontario Science Centre were handing out eclipse glasses that morning. It was chaos with so many people wanting the glasses. The lineup was so long but I was happy I got a pair. We set up a camera on a tripod at the park, but we didn't get a good photo of the eclipse. At least we could see it with our eyes while wearing the protective glasses. That evening we went to see Coldplay in concert. What a coincidence that we were seeing an eclipse on the day that we would hear Coldplay sing "the moon and its eclipse" on the song Something Just Like This. I made sure I captured the lyrics when they came up on the the backdrop and graphics. Connecting these two moments together helped me to remember the eclipse and the concert. Every time the song plays, I remember that day. 

There was another partical eclipse in the fall of 2023. Unlike 2017 when it was 70%, there wasn't as much attention given to this one that was only 39%, especially with the total eclipse expected six months later. It was supposed to be rainy and cloudy. I didn't bother to look for my eclipse glasses. I went out to run an errand that took me longer that I thought it would. Driving home, it was partly sunny and close to the time that the partial eclipse would be at its peak for Toronto. The song, Something Just Like This came on my playlist and I heard "the moon and its eclipse." Hearing it gave me a nudge to try to "see" the eclipse even if I couldn't look at it directly without eclipse glasses.

When I got home, I put the zoom lens on my camera and went out to try to capture it. Barely anything was visible, it was just a big sunburst. I tried to take photos with my sunglasses and polarizing filters in front of the camera, but it didn't look like it worked. In ten minutes, I took twelve photos and gave up.

After lunch, I uploaded the photos to my computer, wondering if I could edit them in order to see something. What a surprise I got when I saw the partial eclipse in one of the photos!! I hadn't noticed it on the small LCD screen of the camera.

It surprised me how happy I was to have captured this one and how close I got to say, "maybe next time." I have often said that it's easy to say no or next time, but often it's worth it to say yes and try. 

This motivated me to be better prepared for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 (one year ago today as I publish this post). I ordered solar eclipse glasses (paper and plastic ones that looked like real glasses). I never wanted to be without eclipse glasses again. I was excited that Toronto would have a 99% partial eclipse, but then a friend told me that it would be 100% an hour away. Hearing that a total eclipse is SO much better than a partial eclipse, we drove to Caledonia in order to see the total eclipse and it exceeded our expectations. It was cloudy at times and we worried that we wouldn't see it, but the clouds parted just at the perfect time.

I'm happy I took videos so I hear the excitement in my voice (even if it's a bit embarrassing) and the cheering of the crowd when it went completely dark in the middle of the day (you may want to turn down the volume before playing it). It takes me back to that moment.

I want to connect these moments, the lunar eclipses with the solar eclipses; the sunrises and sunsets; the rainbows and northern lights; the day sky and night sky. By connecting all these sky memories, they become more meaningful by recognizing where the interest and appreciation began and then grew. It reminds me of these happy moments and makes me want to experience more. 

A couple of days after the lunar eclipse, we arrived home from our neighbourhood walk just as it began to pour. I thought we were lucky to have arrived just in time. Ten or fifteen minutes later, the sun started to come out. It was still raining and I wondered if there was a rainbow. I remembered an earlier lesson I learned, if you want to see a rainbow, you sometimes have to be willing to go out in the rain. The rainbow I saw that afternoon reminded me of the rainbows we saw in Hawaii. These were other moments to connect.

We can't plan ahead for rainbows like we can with eclipses or supermoons, so I really want to appreciate when I get the chance to see them now. I want to make plans to experience these moments when we know they will occur. If I'm somewhere close to the horizon I want to see the sunrises, sunsets, moonrises or moonsets that appear more spectacular. I want to notice the sky when there are beautiful clouds, and especially I hope to some day see rainbow clouds (cloud iridescence). I didn't know they existed until a year or two ago. When I'm at my cottage in Northern Ontario, I check the Northern Lights forecast hoping to see the Northern Lights. 

Looking back at what we love, gives us hope to experience more. I hope I encourage you to follow some of your nudges to revive memories, connect moments and dream to experience more of what you love.

When we work on projects we're passionate about, I believe that we attract more of what we pay attention to. While I was working on this mini-project, I went for a walk on a rare warm day this spring and noticed beautiful and unusual clouds. They may not have been magical like rainbow clouds or a heart cloud, but I still took it as a sign that I was on the right path and to keep going and follow my heart.

Leap Day CN Tower Memories

Leap Day 2024 was more memorable than I could have imagined. In a previous post, I wrote I wanted to experience my second memorable Leap Day after only having memories of Leap Day 2020. You can read it here.

I made plans to celebrate with a CN Tower theme, since I wouldn't be travelling like I did on Leap Day 2020. Sometimes, we can make plans for something special that doesn't work out like we hoped.

I booked dinner at the Writers Room Bar at the Park Hyatt Hotel which completely exceeded my expectations. I had a seat with a view of the CN Tower and the sunset. The food and the service were exceptional. A woman sitting a couple of tables from us shared a photo she took of me taking a photo of my husband with the CN Tower in the background.

It surprised me that the patio doors were open in the winter so we could go outside and take better photos.

I especially love this Toronto Skyline photo with the beautiful sunset coloured clouds.

This was a perfect prelude to our evening painting of the Toronto skyline at Pinot's Palette. I didn't think I'd be able to paint anything that resembled the Toronto skyline, but the instructor was amazing in walking us through and showing each step. We were in a roomful of beautiful Toronto skylines. Every painting I saw looked beautiful, whether a beginner or an experienced artist made it.

Earlier in the day, I completed the CN Tower gingerbread "house" that I had purchased at Christmas time and had frozen when we didn't do it during the holidays. Unfortunately, I should have trimmed two of the cookies for the base of the tower since one was shorter, but I only thought of it once I saw the challenge of putting it together. It ended up a little lopsided, but I still enjoyed doing it. I took a time-lapse of the process. I started by melting sugar to make the glue that would hold things together.

A few days before Leap Day, I started a Toronto Skyline 4D puzzle. I hoped to complete it by Leap Day, but it took a lot longer than I expected. 

This is a time-lapse of the puzzle making up to Toronto in 1989. 

I paused at this point to enjoy seeing Toronto as it was when we first moved here. I especially loved adding the condo building we lived in then. It's all by itself on The Esplanade near Front and Yonge. 

It no longer has the view it did and is now surrounded by many buildings I still need to add to the puzzle. I'll continue the puzzle in the next few weeks to complete it by April 16 or 4/16 to reflect Toronto's original area code (416). I'll also finish the photo book I started that was focusing on the CN Tower, but recognizing that the view from the CN Tower is Toronto, so it will be a perfect time to finish the album.

I love looking at the changes over the years which goes along with the 4D puzzle of placing the buildings in chronological order. I like looking at the same view from different times. This photo on the left is the building I lived in when I first moved here. It's one of my favourite buildings in Toronto being flat-ironed shape. I could see our unit window from the CN Tower when we took this photo in 2005. I can't imagine living there now; having lost the view of the CN Tower and Lake Ontario.

Other comparisons make for happier memories, like seeing a parking lot in the 1970s become the Roy Thompson Hall in later photos. It's interesting to see how much Toronto has changed in the last few decades, especially in comparison with the CN Tower and its views. My photo book will include photos I have taken from 1978 to Leap Day 2024 adding to my Leap Day memories.

If you read my original post about planning a special Leap Day, I hope I inspired you to experience a memorable Leap Day. If you're reading this at another time, I hope I inspire you to make what could be an ordinary day, like April 16th, into one that is a little more extraordinary.

Leap Day Memories

Leap day was just an extra day until coincidentally I travelled to Hawaii on Leap Day 2020. Now I want to celebrate every Leap Day! I’m not travelling this time. Since I LOVE the CN Tower, I am having a CN Tower theme celebration to better remember Leap Day 2024. 

Do you have memories from past Leap Days? Special days give us the opportunity to make memories. TimeHop is a phone app that shows you past photos and social media posts from today's date. I opened my TimeHop app on February 29th 2020 and had no memories. No photos and no social media posts. I had never made a point of doing something or capturing something on Leap Day before (that I can remember).

The title on my calendar page in 2020 gave me the idea to make Leap Day amazing! I wrote a blog post in 2020 that you can read by clicking here.

Celebrating a day makes it more memorable. We want to involve all our senses and add uniqueness to better remember the moments. I also ensured that I captured unique moments by taking photos of ways I could recreate later. Something as simple, yet unusual, were the mini gold sparkling wine bottles we had on the plane. I recently saw these at LCBO and bought some to celebrate this year.

When we arrived at the resort, instead of my regular glass of wine, I had my first ever Mai Tai on the beach. I think of Leap Day whenever I hear or think of Mai Tais.

This year, I'll be staying in Toronto for Leap Day but I am planning on making it a memorable day. I imagine being a tourist coming to Toronto. What would be on my list of things to do if I didn't live here?

Luckily or gratefully, I have done most of the big tourist attractions that I'm interested in. I went up the CN Tower as recently as last summer and have had meals in the revolving restaurant on a few special occasions. Going again would not make Leap Day memorable. I wanted to find something I hadn't done before.

I searched for Hawaiian restaurants in Toronto and learned that there's a poke place just down the road from me. I had seen the word Poke in a couple of places and figured that they were restaurants who also served Poke, but this one is actually a Hawaiian Poke restaurant. My husband had a few pokes while in Hawaii but it's not really my favourite, so I kept searching. I found a Tiki bar that could be fun to have a drink at. 

But then I wondered if I wanted to make Leap Day have a Hawaiian theme or if I wanted to do something different. I celebrate Lei Day on May 1st with a Hawaiian theme. Wouldn't going to a Tiki Bar be more fun when it's hot? I let go of recreating Leap Day Hawaiian memories but made a mental note to go to the Tiki Bar this summer.

I love a view so I researched restaurants and bars that have a view of the CN Tower. Being up the CN Tower is amazing, but you don't actually get to see the Tower; except for its shadow. My husband took this incredible photo in 2019.

I have been to a few places with a view of the CN Tower, but I wanted to go somewhere different. I booked a table for a before-dinner drink (or early dinner) at The Writers Room Bar at the Park Hyatt (Avenue Road and Bloor) just in time for the sunset (hopefully we end up with a table with a view of the CN Tower and the sunset). I am writing a book, so I liked the writing theme.

"Writers Room is a reimagined interpretation of the revered rooftop bar's 50 years storied past, paying homage to the history of literary legends who shared moments in the space."

I wish my palette wasn't so picky or I'd order a drink from the "curated selection of stirred cocktails, inspired by renowned Canadian literary icons." We'll see if I am adventurous like I was in Hawaii when I ordered a Mai Tai (not as adventurous as the cocktails at The Writers Room Bar); or settle for a glass of wine.

I kept searching for other unusual things to do in Toronto and saw a few ideas, but nothing that seemed special enough. I then googled "bucket list" Toronto and came across an Instagram account called Toronto Bucket List (@torbucketlist).

They had a recent post with 8 Date Ideas for Valentine's Day that included "Paint & Sip at Pinot's Palette". Intrigued, I went to their website and saw the class they offered that night (a couple of days after Valentine's Day) was "Monet's Lily Pond - Date Night". I LOVE Monet and I LOVE hearts! 

It was perfect for me, but it was the last night they were offering it. I scrolled down through their schedule. In a few days, there would be a Monet bridge class and a tropical one (great if I hadn't seen the Monet heart). As I continued to scroll, I thought, we'll see what the Leap Day class is, and whether it's meant to be.

I couldn't believe that it was this:

I LOVE the CN Tower AND sunsets!! How serendipitously perfect!! I had tears in my eyes realizing I had a reservation at a place with a CN Tower view and the sunset! The timing would be tight (I changed the restaurant reservation for earlier) but will still need to rush over to the painting place after the sunset.

I took an acrylic painting course once. We learned very basic paintings like this one I painted:

I don't know if I could paint the CN Tower scene well enough, but it will be a memorable way to celebrate Leap Day. When I wrote a list of dreams in 1996, I wrote "to write a song I like". Perhaps I will paint the Toronto Skyline in a way that I like by the next Leap Day (no pressure for this Leap Day). I'll keep trying until I can take it out to enjoy on February 29, 2028.

This gives me another idea for Leap Day. At Christmas, I bought a CN Tower-themed gingerbread house.

It ended up not working out for us to make it, so I put it in the freezer. How perfect, that I could make a CN Tower gingerbread house and then go (try to) paint the CN Tower at night!!

I may be ridiculously overdoing it, but I also have a CN Tower 4-D puzzle I haven't completed.

This is sounding like I will celebrate Leap WEEK...😂. I can't complete this puzzle in one day, so will start it and hope to complete it by Leap Day.

The 4th dimension of a 4D puzzle is time. The puzzle includes a time poster that will lead me through time as I rebuild Toronto’s skyline history. I have been up the CN Tower many times over its 48 years. The first time being for a Grade 7 school trip. When I first moved to Toronto, I lived on The Esplanade and would see the CN Tower when I walked to Union Station every work day. I wish I carried a camera with me in those days. I love to take a photo of the CN Tower, especially when I see it from a different view.

I'm also happy to complete projects I had plans to do "someday". Someday is now. I love connecting moments from the past while creating new memories to make it more meaningful.

I have wanted to make a CN Tower photo album for years. I am going to take this celebration as the nudge I need to get it done. The Toronto skyline has changed so much in the last few decades. It will be interesting to revive those memories by looking back at my photos while making the puzzle. 

How do we do a theme album or project that doesn't have an end date? Create an artificial deadline, so I will make a CN Tower album that will end with the photos I take on Leap Day 2024.

Present Memories

 I deserve a thank-you note

For giving you my presence all year long

I deserve a thank you note

That's the only present that I want

(Thank You Note by Salem Ilese)

I focused on "Present Memories" during part 4 of my 60T🖤60 Project (for more information about my 60T🖤60 project, go to my other blog My Life Is Like A Song). Present Memories is the subject of the book I want to complete by the end of my project. It also worked out well because I was invited to speak at a mothers' group during this period.

The deadline of my presentation added extra motivation to work on my book. I wrote, and wrote and wrote until I realized that it would take me all day to present it. It was still really useful to gain clarity and better organize the topics. The reason I called Part 4 "Present Memories" is that I believe we should focus on memories that improve our present. Our happiness happens in the present. 

It's helpful to travel back in time to understand what matters most and then travel forward in time to where we want to be and the memories we want to create. Once we’ve looked back and forward, we want to capture what matters most and enjoy the memories in the present. 

During the presentation, I covered strategies that research has shown to explain what and why we remember some things rather than others. I gave ideas on how to better remember what matters most. Being able to remember meaningful moments in our lives provides us and our kids a sense of self and identity. It helps us grow and connect with each other. Our memories are the story of our lives.

By enjoying our memories, we can make ordinary days into happier days because every day can’t be extraordinary, otherwise they would become ordinary.

We remember what we pay attention to.

To remember, we need to notice and this requires our attention and our perception - what we see, what we hear, what we smell and what we feel - physically and emotionally.

In the present moment, our memory is limited and short-lived. We remember what we experience only long enough to use it or not. If we don’t make a point of remembering what we experienced, we will forget it in 15-30 seconds and those memories will be replaced by the next information. Life keeps happening.

We remember moments that are significant to us. We could all go on an outing together and remember it differently. We would remember what we pay attention to; what gives us an emotional reaction and what adds meaning for us.

If we want to forget an event or an unpleasant moment; it's best to not think about it. By paying attention to that unpleasant moment, we are helping to remember it.

The other way that memories become meaningful is when we connect them together. We can’t remember everything. We want to be selective and relate what matters to other moments and how they relate to our life story and how we see the world.

Spatial Repetition

Research has found that spaced repetition helps us to remember. It’s like when we were in school, we remember better by reviewing after periods of time that become larger. So when something amazing happens that we want to remember, it will help to review it the next day, then a week later, a month later, three months later and a year later.

We also remember what we think about. We remember the stories we tell, the photos or videos we look at and we remember what we write. Journaling, blogging or sharing on social media helps us remember by writing and then by re-reading the details that may fade over time.

Focus on what we want to remember. 

The key to preserving memories for the future is to recognize what is worth capturing and letting go of the rest. Optimists pay attention to positive experiences, and so these events are remembered. Struggles are good to remember if they are relevant to the journey or they’re important lessons, but dwelling on negative experiences can lead to unhappiness and sometimes depression.

Bliss Point

I began my Revive55 Project in 2019 in order to preserve my memories and hopefully remember more but are more memories better? Is there a bliss point when it comes to memories? What is the perfect balance of enough memories so that they are optimally enjoyed but not too many so that they are lost in the clutter?

When we don’t curate our lives as we live them, eventually we will drown in the memories. One memory box becomes two becomes four becomes eight. 1000 photos becomes 5000 becomes 25000, etc.

It’s easier to keep up than to catch up.

This project was necessary for me because I had let things accumulate. As the years passed, I kept collecting more and more sentimental items without letting go of old ones. I wish I had been more proactive and found a better way sooner. 

Catching up is a project. Keeping up is a process. By putting a process in place to keep up with our memory keeping, we don’t need to do a big catch up project later and we also enjoy our memories along the way. 

That is one of the key things for memory keeping. Keep up the workflow and process of our memories so we don’t have to tackle it all at once later.

Hedonic Adaptation refers to the tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness after experiencing positive or negative events or life changes. 

It’s when we experience an identical stimulus that provides less pleasure the more it’s consumed. For example, a new car feels amazing at first, but eventually, it’s just a car. People who get a big bonus or a pay raise may be happier for a short period of time, but then will settle back to their original level of happiness. People may lose their job and be sadder for a short period of time, but then will settle back to their original level of happiness. 

Our favourite treat or our favourite song may get an emotional response when we haven’t tasted it or heard it in a long time, but if we have it every day or listen to it over and over again, the emotional response diminishes.

We can prevent hedonic adaptation by not enjoying our memories too often, but we also have to enjoy our memories to ensure we remember them.  It’s a fine line. Not too often, not too rarely.

There is also something magical about finding something we haven’t seen in 10 or 20 years, like a time capsule taking us back. This is great for things that are more factual, like report cards or things that we’ll be amazed how much things have changed.

Revive From Archive

Chronological photo albums or digital collections are a great resource like a library, but we don't necessarily want to read every book or look back at every photo. The meaningful moments can become lost in the clutter or what I call: the archive.

Art galleries and museums own much more than they show on display. Much of their collection is in storage.

I want to encourage you to Revive From Your Archive. Rather than organizing all your photos, revive your most meaningful ones. 

Curating exhibitions by theme is a more interesting way to enjoy our memories.

I love going to the art gallery when they have exhibitions where they display pieces of art from various places in the world and connect them in a meaningful way. 

Art galleries will also curate special exhibitions by connecting pieces by artist, by theme or by time period. These exhibitions highlight the art in a way that makes us appreciate it even more than a single painting. Sometimes in the exhibits, they showcase mementos, letters, or timelines, not just pieces of art.

It helps to tell the artist’s story or a story of a time period. Our special exhibition can tell a more meaningful story than just one photo. 

Our permanent collection should be what is most important to us and our family. They are our milestones and our peak moments. They are the people we love. They may have mementos connected to them and stories. They are the photos and mementos that we display in our house or screensavers. They are the first things we see when we enter our home or the last things we see when we go to bed at night. It showcases who we are and what is important to us.

When we first put photos in frames for our permanent collection, we notice them and they made us feel happy, but eventually, we stop noticing them. Taking something out that has been put away for months, brings back the magic. It's best to not let our permanent collection become too permanent.

Our special exhibitions are the interesting stories that will link some things to others. They could focus on one family member, like an art gallery may have a special exhibition on one artist. It  could focus on places weu’ve been; on activities we love to do; on our traditions; then and now comparisons; changes over the years; etc. We can also use mementos or household items to enhance the theme.

They don’t have to be big projects either. Sometimes I make a card with old photos of the person. I’ve used a cartoon app to alter the image for special moments. I have made collages on an 8.5x11 page or photobooks for really special birthdays. Using iMovie or Final Cut Pro, I’ve also made highlight videos with little snippets over the years.

By using our photos to make these gifts or cards, we are spending time with our memories instead of time going shopping for gifts and cards.  This helps us to remember.

The first special exhibition that I recommend you create is about you. Who were you? What did you love to do when you were young? As we grow up, other people influence us whether that is well-meaning parents and teachers or mean or envious classmates. As Charles Bukowski wrote: “Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?” If you have childhood photos and mementos that you haven’t sorted through, this is a great time to look to recognize what is most meaningful for you. Being a new parent can be a way to reconnect with your younger self.

1. By looking back, we can see who we were. 
2. By being present and noticing our current life, we can see who we are. 
3. By looking forward, we can be proactive in being who we want to be. 

I printed three pages with photo memories I created with these 3 themes to remind me at times when life gets busy of who I intend to be so that I choose better actions today to get me there.

Present Memories

Studies show that remembering happy times from the past helps us be happy in the present and gives us a hopeful vision for the future. As long as they bring back happy memories, it will boost our happiness.

Look back to connect meaningful moments. Look forward to create more and capture them and savour them in the present.

The end goal is a workflow that works - it’s that feeling of the moments that matter being captured and preserved. We connect the dots through our life to figure out what we love, what we connect with and what matters to us. 

We can extend that happy moment, by anticipating it - for example anticipating a vacation or an outing - and then reflecting by enjoying the photos or stories afterwards. Studies show that we can boost our happiness by keeping happy memories in our mind. So taking the time like organizing our photos, taking videos, keeping mementos around is a happiness strategy.

In the present, remember happy times from the past and plan for future memories.

Embrace technology

While preparing this presentation, my MacBook crashed. If I hadn't backed up and synced my photos and memories; I would have been forced to spend almost as much repairing an older computer that wouldn't end up lasting as long as a new one. I had learned how to ensure that technology failures did not impact my memory keeping so the only pain I got from my computer crashing was financial. I spoke about technology in my presentation, but it's too lengthy for this post. The most important thing is to embrace technology, learn how your devices work and what would happen if they broke. Would your memories still be preserved?

Conclusion

Our memories are inside us. They are not the photos, videos and mementos. Floods, fires and technology losses happen. 

The photos and mementos help us to remember. We can keep the memories alive by spending time enjoying our photos, mementos and memories; not too often and not too rarely.

The key to preserving future memories is to recognize what is worth capturing.

Chasing dreams...capturing memories.

Revive From Archive: Meaningful Moments

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away yesterday. When moments occur that mean something to me, I love to revive memories relating to these events.

Her passing reminded me of the last time Queen Elizabeth visited Toronto in 2010. This was a time in my life when I didn't say...maybe I'll go next time. I had been to the Vancouver Olympics a few months before and wanted to continue to pursue my passions (and interests). 

When I learned that The Queen would be in Toronto, I decided to go with my SLR camera in hand. I am grateful that I did since she never came back and I love the photos I captured.

 

I'm thankful that I wrote a blog post about my day because it is reminding me of details that I had forgotten. You can read it and see more photos here. There was a lot of luck (or synchronicity) and resourcefulness involved in capturing the photos. Looking through the photos on my current computer, there is one that I included on my blog that I don't have. This reminds me that I still have photos from that day on an old computer that I want to revive.

The other thing I want to do is to connect moments with this story. I haven't figured out how I want to capture these connected stories yet. Do I want to put everything together in a video format? A photo album? Memory box? In an app/website? For now, I am just making a list of the moments I want to connect like:

• Seeing Prince Charles (now King Charles III) and meeting Camilla (now Queen Consort) at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in 2009 (click here for my blog post)
• My first time seeing Buckingham Palace in 1992
• Tower of London visit including view of Crown Jewels in 1992 with the guard saying "Move along; they're just diamonds" that made us laugh.
• Diana death (where and when I heard the news); Diana memorial fountain in London; exhibit in Toronto (where I bought an English Rose tea cup and maybe a program? - I want to revive that memory of the exhibit)
• Seeing Buckingham Palace July 7 2005 (the day of the London bombings)
• Royal York Hotel - my visit for a meeting
• Buckingham Palace tour in 2018
• Growing up in a town she visited as a Princess (in lieu of her ill father King George VI)
• Queen anniversary cards to my parents and parents-in-law
• Queen Jubilee Morning Melody I composed 
• Queen Elizabeth II death (where and when I heard the news); interviewed by CTV News

As I remember other moments that fit in this category or experience more, I can include them to add even more connections. I love the idea of putting all these stories together somehow. It adds more meaning when they are all together.