Journaling Through Life--The Simple Pleasure of Keeping a Journal
May 15, 2015
You’re probably not surprised to learn that I keep a
journal. (In my usual let’s-make-this-more-complicated-than-it-needs-to-be
fashion, I actually have more than one type of journal, but that’s another
story.) Journaling has accompanied me from high school to college, from my
first full-time job, to getting married and moving cross-country to Florida—and
beyond. There have been times when life kept me too busy or distracted for
regular journal entries, and times when I wrote several pages every day.
The oldest journal I have (other than the pages I still have
from my creative writing class) is from 1982, when I was a freshman in college. Part of that year I wrote in
a battered black and white composition book, and part of the year I used a
cloth-covered blank book. Those journal entries contain lots of exclamation
points and underlining, and a palpable desire to grow up. I flipped through a
couple of the journals pictured below, where I found entries from when I met
the guy who was my “first love” and a brief mention of the first time I had a
significant conversation with the girl who is still my best friend. There were entries after we experienced a
6.1 earthquake, and after my husband asked me to marry him. (And plenty more,
but I decided I needed to put down the journals and walk away or I might not be
seen again. Reading old journal entries can be addictive.)
Choosing a journal or notebook and just the right pen is a
source of pleasure as much as the actual writing. The best journals are just
the right size and heft, but I’m also happy to use journals my friends give me,
even if they aren’t quite ideal. Their love and thoughtfulness more than make
up for any perceived imperfection in the book itself.
As a writer, I find my journals indispensable, but what
about if you’re not a writer? Is there any value in keeping a journal? I think
so. There are many reasons to keep a journal—as a way to remember
important-to-you events, as a way to blow off steam, to clarify your thoughts,
or to focus on something in particular (such as what you’re grateful for).
Journals can be anything from a few lines written in a notebook now and then to
a daily diary sort of document. You might keep a nature journal, an illustrated journal, a words-only journal, or something in between. As Alexandra Johnson
wrote in Leaving a Trace: On Keeping a Journal, “Keeping a journal is
one of the few ways to remind oneself of life’s unnoticed gifts.”
If you want to journal but don’t know where to start, you
can always use those pristine pages to make lists, paste in ticket stubs,
business cards, and other bits of daily life. You can examine questions like:
how am I feeling? What do I want to accomplish today (this week, this year)?
What do I like about myself? What would I like to change? Describe your
surroundings, your family, your pets, yourself.
You can fill a journal with favorite quotes and bits of
wisdom, record your dreams, write down your family history. Or treat it like a
scratch pad, as author and photographer Karen Walrond does, and jot down phone
messages, ideas, grocery lists, whatever you need to record during the day. Click here for a list of journal-keeping ideas. (And if I haven’t convinced you,
click here to read Leanne Sowul’s “Ten Ways Journaling Can Make Your Life Better.”)
My journals have been friends to me, absorbing grief, anger,
elation, and joy as need be. They contain my story, even if no one but me ever
reads it. Memory can be false, but journals can reveal the truth (for instance,
I don’t remember staying up until the wee hours on a regular basis when I was
my son’s age, but my journals from that time reveal that I often did!). Writing
things down helps me work through what I really think, before those thoughts
get unleashed on the world, if they ever do. Journaling through life has made
it that much deeper and sweeter—and happier.
If you keep a journal, what type is it? Do you ever go back to reread it? What have you learned from keeping it?
6 comments
I wish I had kept a journal when I was young but I never did. Or at least not for very long. I think I have a few pages from a difficult time in my life 35 or mor years ago, but I wouldn't really want to revisit that. In my next life I plan to keep a journal - both written and visual. :)
ReplyDeleteCheryl--Those old journals can be fun, but they can also be cringe-worthy! Your sketchbooks are already a journal of sorts. Journals don't have to have lots of words!
ReplyDeleteMy first journal was when I was 6 years old. My mother made me put it together as a record of a vacation we took, to write a few words under some photos. I had a diary in jr. high, oh, how funny it was when I read it years later!! Some one sentence entries like "I washed my hair today." Today I too have different books going at the same time. The one I love most is the illustrated travel journal & also the creative ideas "repository." As you might guess, I totally love this post!! So true, so true, from the tools to choose, to the reasons...
ReplyDeleteRita--I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one who has got to have more than one type of journal at her fingertips. And yes, those old diary/journal entries can be pretty funny. How cool that your mom started you off on the journaling path at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteDear Kathy - just catching up on your previous posts. I have kept a journal of my prayers for years. Also have a art journal of sorts but not as faithful with it as my prayer one. Was fun to hit your links and read thoughts from others regarding the journaling process. As always I take away so much from your posts. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteDebbie--A prayer journal is a great idea, too. It would certainly serve as a record of what was on your mind, too. Glad you enjoyed the post and links. I always enjoy your comments, so thank you for taking time to share your thoughts.
ReplyDelete