Let the Journaling Begin....

I have long loved the idea of journaling. Of writing my thoughts and feelings down on paper as a means to better understand where they are coming from and what they mean, to record the little details about my ordinary life so that I can remember them down the road.  It has always seemed like such a lovely idea.

But where to begin? That is where I have always struggled and as a result have wished to journal for many years, never actually getting down to the business of doing it.  Which is really a shame when I think about all the tidbits and thoughts that will never be recorded/remembered.

Then about a month ago, I found this Something Serious with Something Silly list journal (available here) in my drawer.

And without thinking about it too much, I sat down at the table and started working through it. List after list, I recorded as many little details as would fit on each page.

Some lists were silly:

Others were more serious:

Some of the writing prompts really made me think (I interpreted this prompt as "what do certain colors make me think of"):

It was a lot of fun. And insightful. And encouraging. In fact, as I worked on my book, and as I finished it up, I felt very much at peace knowing that I had recorded what was on my mind and in my heart in February 2015; a snapshot of ‘me’, if you will.

I am going to continue journaling. I have dug out the books I bought years ago and never used, and searched out some writing prompts (I really like these) to get me started.

My story, my thoughts, my feelings, the tidbits of my life, are important and I am excited to record so that I can remember.

Do you journal?

Do you write paragraphs or lists? I really like the list making approach - so many details can be written down quickly and pointedly, and for someone who uses lists on a daily basis it just fits.