Journaling at the Speed of Life...


I keep a personal journal. On the shelf, that is. I know the importance of maintaining an ongoing narrative of one's life experiences, both as an important step toward improved self-awareness and as a gift to future generations who might find it interesting to know how people like me managed to get through this whole business of mortality in one piece. A journal well-kept is a personal treasure.

My journal covers over twenty years. All in only twelve pages. Months and even years pass between entries, and most of those are a single paragraph. I even have one entry that reads something like "I had the most interesting experience today." Then nothing. I have no idea what it was that was so interesting, and it obviously will be a mystery forever.

The real mystery is how, on such an important subject, I have neglected to follow the rules. I cannot count how many times I have been asked if I remember something that happened years ago, only to find out half my life has faded away like old newsprint. To paraphrase Samuel the Lamanite, "Oh, that I had remembered to keep a journal in the days when I could remember." (see Helaman 13:33)

So on Monday I crawled out of bed at 4:00 am, got dressed, grabbed my journal, and headed out to open the church for the early-morning Seminary students. My job that day was to stand watch over the building while the classes were held. So I pulled up a chair at a table in the cultural hall and placed the journal in front of me.

I slowly opened the book, afraid that some spirit of the past might jump out at me. I looked over the old entries from years past, laughing at some and puzzling over others. Having remembered to bring a working pen (amazing) I began writing - for the first time in a year. I can't recall what I wrote, but that's not important. What is important is that I wrote something, anything. For that hour or so, I felt really good about life. And it carried me the rest of the day.

So I now have a new-found respect for the power of record-keeping. Let's hope it's a positive sign. I've let a few days go by, so I'm not as confident as I might otherwise be. But if I count this post, I'll have set a new personal record: two journal entries in the same year.

It's a start...

Comments

Fiauna said…
I'm like you: I know I should journal, but don't. At least you try. I guess I should get on that before my kids grow up and leave me with only my fading memories.
December 2, 2009 at 10:05:00 AM PST
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