Sometimes, memories are just that

As I was approaching Chicago's iconic public library last week, my camera battery died. I was devastated. I learned a hard lesson that day: it was the first time in ages that I was just taking in the sights for myself, rather than documenting them to show to other people. It reminded me of an article I read a while ago about creating our 'virtual shadow':

"My concern is that we seem more and more focused on creating these anchors of memory – FourSquare check-ins, status updates, and so on. Unfortunately, the tools we use to create our modern anchors of memory, like the smartphone, require a level of multitasking that takes us away from the very experience we’re trying so hard to capture! It is the ultimate irony."

Sobering words and definitely worth remembering when you're travelling. Sometimes, memories are just for the traveller.