The Louvre Museum in Paris is an absolutely beautiful building. Words can hardly give the building its due respect.

I hadn’t been a fan of art until a good friend of mine lit the fire by taking me to Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Ark. Part of what attracted me was the peace and serenity surrounding the artworks. Visitors weren’t allowed to take photos, and they followed a certain etiquette. People talked in quiet voices and tried to keep to themselves.

You don’t get that same experience at The Louvre, though.

Instead, you have hundreds of people running around with their cameras trying to take pictures of (or with) famous pieces of art. I found myself questioning whether people even saw the art, or just took photos to boast about their experience.

The Louvre houses Mona Lisa, Mary Magdalene, Cupid, Psyche and Venus. Of those works, Mona Lisa is obviously the favorite, but it’s nearly impossible to get within sight of the work, let alone examine it.

Even I was guilty of this. A friend asked me to take a picture within sight of Mona Lisa and I obliged. Immediately I was disappointed in myself. I actually deleted the photo.

What I want to tell you is this: Remember to take everything in. Photos can make things eternal, but an actual experience is worth so much more. Live in the moment; look at the Mona Lisa through your own eyes, not through a camera lens. I know I wish I had.