Today I came to the realization that I have written in a journal nearly everyday for the past ten years.
whoa.
It feels crazy to even say that. Nearly half my life documented in old notebooks, my handwriting changing just as often as my choice of pen. My journals are a part of me, a place I've spilled all my thoughts day after day.
Confession: This summer I've hardly touched my journal, and I've felt so incredibly guilty about it.
but why?
Nobody is telling me to write. I'm not letting anybody down by not writing. I've been putting all this pressure on myself to write even when I have nothing to say.
why?
Journaling should be relaxing, a safe place to express whatever it is I'm thinking or feeling. I think I lost that a little. I got so hung up on recording every detail of every day that I started to miss the bigger picture. Obsessing over details is definitely how my brain works, but my journal became an object of added stress, another thing on my 'To Do' list, rather than a place to let my mind wring itself clean.
So I'm changing.
Maybe a new format is what I need at this stage of my journaling. Taking photos is a constant for me, and I always felt that my journals were missing that aspect of my life. My words can only remember so much. I'll be traveling quite a bit this winter, and would love to use this platform to share with my family and friends the things I find, the things I feel, the photos I take. My hope is that I'll use this more regularly than I have in past (but still with no pressure or added stress).
So, cheers to change. Cheers to new adventures. Cheers to continued journaling.
