– written 25 June 2022
A few days ago, I sorted all my photos using Google Photos. I saw old photos of places and people, I remembered moments that now bring me a little closer to forgiveness.
I saw that I had few photos with my father but I had many that I had taken of him. I also had videos I had recorded without his knowledge – videos to remind me of how he would speak at length on topics he liked.
I saw that I didn’t have a single photo with my older brother and cursed my former lackadaisical attitude toward backing up photos. I had the most photos of and with my youngest sibling.
I created folders for everyone at home and friends with whom I had taken many photos. I created a folder of myself and Google used AI to auto-update it with my photos and videos. I shared this folder with my siblings because I wanted them to have something to remember me by.
I saw that Tolu and Samuel were my most photographed friends and I didn’t have many photos of Dami and Tomi.
I saw an old photo Segun had taken during a video call and I remembered how much it made me laugh. In that photo, I was eating a big bowl of rice and being silly. Ironically, I don’t have a single photo with Segun.
Arranging my photos felt like taking a trip and visiting memories.
I need to spend more time with the people that are important to me. I hope I get to document the experience before it is too late.