But Are You Here?

How often do we try to capture a moment before we have fully experienced it? Inspired by Wendell Berry’s poem "The Vacation," this short reflection explores the difference between documenting life and actually being present for it.

Some moments do not need to be saved. They simply need to be lived.

Photo by Luise and Nic on Unsplash. Music purchased on Epidemic Sound.

Transcript

I'm sort of doing a series on Insight Timer about Wendell Berry, Who died at 92 on August 31, 2026. At his home in Kentucky, Berry was a farmer, A poet, A novelist, An essayist, And a defender of community land. And attentive living. I kind of consider him to be one of my patron saints, Especially the more that I learn about him. And I want to just do a quick reflection here. And I'll be sharing mostly my thoughts. So it's more of a talk than a guided meditation. And I've entitled this, But Were You There? And there's a short poem by Wendell Berry called The Vacation. And it feels really relevant today. I really relate to it. I find it challenging. I find the premise of it very challenging. And so I'll just share with you and see what you think as well. He tells the story of a man on vacation who's traveling down a river on a boat and there's trees and sky and light and in the camera you can see the front of the boat apparently and the man wants to remember it. He wants to hold on to the experience. I find it really interesting when we do photography we call it capture. We capture this scene in our our cameras. And so he lifts the video camera to his eye and he begins filming. And Barry describes him as preserving his vacation as he was having it. And like I said, I understand that desire. We see something beautiful and we immediately think, I want to remember this. It's just second nature to some of us these days. You know, There's a beautiful sunset or something interesting is happening. And maybe we're at a concert or we're with our children and we just pull out our phones and take a picture or a video and you know there's nothing wrong with that. But Barry notices something, And I've noticed this too as I do this, And I do this a lot. He's saying that the man becomes so preoccupied with preserving the experience that the camera stands between him and the experience itself. He's on the river, But is he really there? And then Barry ends the poem with this observation, But he would not be in it. He would never be in it. Those are the final lines. I'll say it again, But he would not be in it. He would never be in it. I've done the same thing, As I've said very often, And I wonder if you're with me and can relate. Trying to capture the moment instead of being in it, Instead of being present. Just grabbing my camera before actually being and maybe receiving. The beauty or the feeling of silence and solitude, Thinking that I'm capturing something great in how it's going to look afterwards instead of how it feels now. And it's almost like we become spectators of our own lives. We're just not fully in it. And I think maybe consequently, Not fully living it at times. So if anything, I want to take up Wendell Berry's challenge and maybe invite you to do that too. I want to invite you to do that as well. Is that maybe sometimes go on a walk or go outside without your phone. Or, Think about pausing and being with the scene before snapping the picture. You know, You can use your different senses. You can listen. You can breathe. You can take a moment to just think about how it feels and just let the moment be what it is. Asking anything of it without demanding anything of the moment. Wendell Berry certainly encourages us to be here and just reminds us such a great reminder for us today that not every moment needs an audience, Not every experience needs proof, Some things can simply be. So perhaps this has gotten into your psyche. And I just invite you to notice one moment where you'd normally reach for your phone. And before you do that, Pause, Just wait, And take it in. Absorb the pace of what is happening around you. As I often say, If you're out in nature, Absorb the pace of nature. Connect with it. Receive the moment before you record it. Ask yourself, Am I capturing this moment or am I actually here for it? Maybe take the picture? And maybe don't, But first. . . Be here. Take good care.