Stop Recording

Granny Sue’s Podcast

“Can We Quit Filming Everything?”

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[Opening Music]

GRANNY SUE:

Well, hey there, Sugar Plums!

Before we get started…

I have a confession.

Yesterday…

I dropped an entire carton of eggs on my kitchen floor.

Now, I looked around…

and for just one tiny second…

I was grateful nobody else was here.

Because these days…

if you sneeze funny…

somebody’s recording it.

Honey, I cleaned up those eggs thinking,

“Thank goodness this isn’t on the internet with six million views and somebody adding dramatic music to it.”

When did we all decide life needed its own camera crew?

Seems like everywhere I go…

somebody has a phone pointed at somebody else.

Folks aren’t watching fireworks anymore…

they’re filming themselves watching fireworks.

People don’t clap at weddings until they’ve checked whether they got the perfect angle.

I saw a little girl at the zoo trying to show her grandmother the giraffes.

Grandma was looking through her phone.

The giraffe was standing ten feet away.

Sugar Plum…

Look at the giraffe!

He’s already here.

You don’t need to watch him later on a six-inch screen.

Now don’t misunderstand me.

I’m all for taking pictures.

Lord knows I’ve got enough family albums to stop a door from closing.

Pictures help us remember.

But somewhere along the line…

we stopped making memories…

and started making content.

Let’s see who’s on the line.

Caller #1 — Melissa from South Carolina

MELISSA:

Sue…

I went to a concert last weekend.

The man in front of me watched the entire thing…

through his phone.

He recorded every song.

I never actually saw the band.

I saw his screen.

GRANNY SUE:

Melissa…

Imagine paying a hundred dollars to attend something…

so you can watch it later.

That’s like sitting on the beach and looking at postcards of the ocean.

Caller #2 — Frank from Oklahoma

FRANK:

Sue…

My grandson caught his first fish.

Before anybody congratulated him…

three people said,

“Hold it back up — we weren’t recording!”

The poor fish looked exhausted.

GRANNY SUE: (laughing)

Frank…

That fish had to celebrate the same accomplishment four different times.

At some point, he was probably thinking,

“Would somebody either applaud or throw me back?”

Caller #3 — Darlene from Kentucky

DARLENE:

Sue…

A woman at the grocery store dropped a jar of spaghetti sauce.

Before anyone helped her…

two people pulled out their phones.

One of them actually stepped around the mess to get a better angle.

GRANNY SUE:

Now that right there hurts my heart.

Once upon a time…

if somebody stumbled…

we reached for their arm.

Now, apparently, we reach for our camera.

Honey…

Compassion should always beat content.

Caller #4 — Raymond from Florida

RAYMOND:

Sue…

My daughter made us stop eating Thanksgiving dinner because she wanted to film everybody taking the first bite.

By the fifth take…

the mashed potatoes had developed a skin.

GRANNY SUE: (trying not to laugh)

Raymond…

If my gravy gets cold waiting for your video…

I’m eating anyway.

The internet has survived without seeing me chew.

I think it’ll be just fine.

Caller #5 — Debbie from Missouri

DEBBIE:

Sue…

A lady at the gym spent twenty minutes filming herself exercising.

She worked out for six.

GRANNY SUE:

Debbie…

If adjusting the camera burns calories…

she probably had a terrific workout.

Caller #6 — Carl from Virginia

CARL:

Sue…

My neighbor was filming his new grill for social media.

He got so busy talking to his phone…

he burned every hamburger.

Then he posted,

“Perfect cookout!”

GRANNY SUE: (laughing)

Carl…

Somewhere there’s a family chewing charcoal…

while the internet thinks they’re living their best life.

You know, Sugar Plums…

One of my favorite memories happened years ago.

No cameras.

No phones.

No videos.

Just a bunch of people laughing so hard somebody snorted sweet tea through their nose.

Nobody has proof that it happened.

But every person who was there remembers it exactly the same way.

And maybe that’s enough.

Not every sunset needs to become a reel.

Not every meal needs a photoshoot.

Not every happy moment needs an audience.

Some memories grow bigger because they belong only to the people who lived them.

So here’s my advice.

Take the picture.

Then put the phone away.

Laugh with your family.

Watch the fireworks with your own eyes.

Cheer for the Little League home run.

Pet the dog.

Watch the giraffe.

And if somebody drops a carton of eggs…

Help them clean it up.

Don’t ask them to do it again because your camera wasn’t ready.

Until next time…

Be kind.

Laugh often.

And remember…

Life is a whole lot more beautiful when you’re actually looking at it.

Love you, Sugar Plums.

Bye now.

© 2026 Trish Church. All rights reserved.

New Literary Society