photo by Don Rutledge
Memories are essential in our lives because they allow us to grow and learn to be better people. Our recollections can teach us necessary life lessons, demonstrate skills and abilities, and make us feel happy and entertained.
Having memories helps us know what is right and wrong. We can also remember where we made our mistakes and learn from them.
We have birthdays to celebrate and remember the year that has passed and the clean slate we have going forward.
Wedding anniversaries are when we gather with our friends who helped us in our journey. We can celebrate because our friends and family helped us through difficult moments and also the times that we observed.
I loved that Chick-fil-A corporate offices celebrate work anniversaries every five years. On your 20th anniversary, your department will have a big party. One of those traditions is getting a cartoon drawn of you, and surrounding you are things you are known for contributing to the brand.
My mentor, Don Rutledge, helped me understand how important photography is to humanity. It helps capture moments and tells stories. Sometimes we need to be sure we capture our own stories and families.
Maybe when you were in school, your English teacher assigned you to read “Black Like Me.” My mentor, Don Rutledge, traveled with the author John Howard Griffin in 1955 as he did his research for his book. He photographed him when he took drugs and, using makeup, transformed himself from a white man to a black man to be able to write about what it was like to live as a black man in the south.
I did my master’s thesis on Don Rutledge. If you want to read it, here are the links to the chapters of the book:
- Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Chapter One
- Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Chapter Two
- Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Chapter Three
- Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Chapter Four
- Master’s Thesis on Don Rutledge: Conclusion
I gave a copy to Don. Just before retiring, Don had mini strokes that affected his memory. After retiring, he had a few powerful strokes and couldn’t remember much. When I would call to talk to Don, he told me how much he appreciated my work in telling his story. He read it repeatedly to help him feel good about his life, but couldn’t remember. Here is an article I wrote for NPPA News Magazine.
Now, while you might not be photographing or creating videos of content that goes into a newspaper, you are recording history. Sometimes, the most critical documentation is that of your family and friends. I have been doing this for our family.
Here are examples of photos of my daughter through the years
We all need to remember our past, the good and the bad. We celebrate the good times and that we pushed through and overcame adversity.
Remember, if you are a leader, you celebrate those who work for you. Celebrate those work anniversaries. Remember to tell those stories of how your people overcame obstacles, grew, and helped your team succeed.
One of the best ways to celebrate is by using photos and videos to play back some of those memories. Sometimes, to “Seize the Day,” we need to remember we did it before.