I am fully aware that “enjoy the moment” feels like an odd thing to defend. It’s a fundamental concept that every human being understands. “Stop and smell the roses,” as the saying goes. But in a modern world plagued by social media and personal branding, it has become a real challenge to simply experience the world around you.

Full disclaimer, this post serves two purposes. First, it’s a musing on how self-adsorbed our modern culture has become. And second, it’s an opportunity to brag on my wife. She is my favorite person after all, so any excuse to tell you about her extraordinary excellence is an excuse that I will take.

Here’s a brief backstory on how this post came to be. My wife is a force to be reckoned with. She’s an award-winning physician, an award-winning illustrator, and after the latest state fair, an award-winning baker. But here’s the thing. She didn’t just win a ribbon or two. She entered the notoriously competitive pie category and took down the whole damn thing. Best in Show! This contest has a literal dynasty attached to it. Big names, big clout, and a whole lot of talent. My wife, always fearless, decided that this was a worthy challenge for her two-year journey as an amateur baker. She workshopped a French apple galette for an entire year, then dropped it on the judging table with the confidence of a tech bro.

Cut to the end when she lifted a Best in Show ribbon, and did so on her first try. So proud.

The picture above was taken shortly after the competition ended. I do not have any pictures of the judging. I do not have any videos of the announcement, or of her delightful reaction. Hell, I don’t even have a picture of the winning pie outside of our own home. But I know it happened, and I know we will enjoy that triumph for the rest of our lives.

As I was sitting beside her for the awards, here are things that never crossed my mind:

“I should live-stream this on Facebook.”
“I should post this to food tags on Instagram.”
“I should live-tweet this to baking influencers.”

And here are the things that actually went through my mind:

“I am so happy to be here for this achievement.”
“Win or lose, I am so proud of what she has accomplished.”
“Holy crap, I think I’m more nervous than my wife is.”

We were in the moment, and it created a glorious memory when she won. I wasn’t staring at a phone screen or thinking about generating content. I was there to share a singular experience with the person I cared most about.

And perhaps the best revelation was that we shared it as a community. There was an abiding comradery baked into the contest (pun intended) where everyone tossed smiles and kudos to the winners. My wife walked in knowing no one, and walked out with a community of cohorts. It was beautiful to watch. Nobody was snapping, filming, or streaming during the judging and awards. They were all in the moment and enjoying the thrill of victory. And when it happened, all eyes turned to the winner to share in the celebration.

Afterwards, I could not help but reflect on the immense damage that social media and personal branding have done to modern culture. They have trained people to value online strangers more than the faces right in front of them. Building a following is not the same as building a community. It’s precisely the opposite. Social media is a societal cancer, and I found a much-needed cure at a local baking contest.

A common retort to online addiction is “go touch grass.” But after this wonderful and intimate experience, I am changing it to “go smell pies.”