When I erase a moment I loved through someone else’s eyes

Scenes

• I delete my first-snow photo right away — I took it because I was happy to see the snow, but after looking at other people’s photos, mine suddenly seems pitiful.
• I even hesitate to say I liked it — It was a moment I enjoyed without needing to show anyone, but when there’s no reaction, I feel as if I was wrong to like it.
• I take a photo, then open the screen again — After photographing the first snow by the window before work, I scroll through the group chat photos and slide only mine into the trash.
• I had been measuring my feelings by people’s reactions — Self-esteem isn’t the strength to always look confident. It’s closer to the strength to keep what I liked as my own experience, even before anyone else recognizes it.
• Leave one line in your own words below the photo — You don’t have to post the photo you took today. Instead, try writing beneath it, “I liked this scene.” It may feel awkward at first.
• The feeling I loved doesn’t disappear — You may still want to delete the photo next time. But if you pause to look at your feelings before looking for others’ reactions, you’re already standing somewhere different.