11 July 2013

Starting a new journal

Journaling is an important part of my life, and has been for quite some time. It provides an outlet for me, allows me to think things through, brainstorm, and organize my thoughts privately. I've journaled off and on (mostly on) for as long as I can remember. There was a while a couple of years ago that I couldn't bring myself to journal because of a specific incident, but I'm happily back to it.

I'm reaching the end of my personal journal. I have the new one ready to go, and I'm looking forward to the fresh emotional and creative start that always occurs when I start a new journal. But I'm still a little sad about putting the filled one away.

The journal I'm finishing has covered the last three months of my life. Reflections, thoughts, frustrations, pictures, Sunday bulletins, poems and articles by others, and lots of other things that have added up to who I have been for the past three months. In some ways, it's hard to let go of so much of who I am like that. In other ways, it's a relief because the past few months have been so difficult for me.

That being said, the coming weeks are a time of change for me. I'm looking forward to a new big, scary adventure in my life, and it's very fitting that I'm starting a new journal with these major changes just ahead of me.

Every once in a while I read back through my journals. It's nice to see where I was and where I am, and know that I'm growing and becoming stronger with every page. I'm looking forward to seeing what memories this new journal will capture.

Do you journal? Why?

2 comments:

  1. I used to journal a lot, but burned them all. I don't like holding on to struggle. I like growing and going forward. I also worried that journaling always gave me the false feeling of privacy and I worried I would write something that someone would find later and misunderstand. Plus all those blank pages were so overwhelming.

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  2. I can understand your concerns. I had someone very, very trusted in my life read my journal when I was going through a particularly difficult time, and it caused a lot of problems.

    Despite that, I kind of feel like I have to journal. It's the best way I can find to let go of things.

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