Drama Creator

Ever have those moments where you realize YOU are creating the drama in your life?

I had one of those last night. 😳

This story is all about pictures. I have thousands of pictures on my phone. Thousands. I used to scrapbook, put them in books, do all the things. Then everything went digital and I lost my way. Or I had six kids and life got really busy? Either way, I stopped doing anything besides taking pictures and storing them.

Well, actually I did make a few photo books, speckled throughout the last 20 years or so. Oh boy. That sounds even more pathetic on here than it did in my head.

Sigh.

Regardless, when Chatbooks came across my social media feed several years ago, it seemed like a perfect solution for me! Photo books you just make once a month from the pictures on your phone? Yes, please! My sister-in-law was already using the service and had tons of photo books done and printed. I loved looking through them whenever I would visit.

Sign me up!

Three years ago, I went for it. I had found the solution to my picture hoarding problems! Woo-hoo! Feeling extra confident in my latest life game-changer 😜, I signed up for the whole year upfront. What could go wrong?

Well, I made the first book.

I created the second book.

And then—I don’t even know what happened. I just know that Chatbooks left my brain. I would think about it now and again, chiding myself for not doing the monthly photo book. It even made it on my weekly “to-do” list, but never as a serious contender for my “done” list.

Exactly five weeks ago, out of the blue, I felt a push to revisit Chatbooks. Let’s get this going! I opened the app, looked at my account, and gasped.

My credits that I had paid in advance for were gone. Expired. Wasted. Nada.

wut??

I searched online and did indeed find that if you don’t use your Chatbook credits, they expire, and that’s the end.

For the love.

I got on the app again, and opened a chat. C’mon, there has to be something they could do! I explained the situation, and was immediately given an extension for all my credits to expire July 31.

Hooray!

Wait—July 31 of this year? I have 22 books to make. TWENTY-TWO!!!! And because I am a procrastination proficient, I haven’t made one book in the past five weeks.

I have 28 days to make 22 page photo books!

Good heavens.

See what I mean? This drama was completely created by ME. My choices, my forgetfulness, my procrastination, my everything. Its kind of a hard pill to swallow.

I think we all create drama more often than we would like to admit. Are all the airport employees idiots, or did you just not leave on time? Is the midterm tomorrow the worst thing ever, or is your insufficient preparation the reason for your cram session all-nighter? Is the family coming in town really the cause of the stress and drama, or is it because you haven’t cleaned your bathrooms for a little while??

Hard to swallow or not, it is worth it to look at ourselves closely. What drama are you creating? What could you change so life could be smoother, less stressful, and more peaceful?

For me, this month is going to be filled with photos, and photos, and MORE PHOTOS!

UGH.

Wish me luck.

And maybe send some reminders.

I could use all the help I can get.