Reflections On Reflecting

I dug up all of my old journals and arranged them on a shelf + prompts for you...

One red bound leather, another dark blue with white flowers and a lime green elastic keeping the pages tightly closed.

One a soft camel color with maroon strings that double wrap around the handmade paper. A black sketchbook from Utrecht with a $2 bill taped inside, a metallic gold art deco printed cover with a magnetic flap.

One small and off white, with sun-faded, tear-stained purple butterfly on the front.

Yesterday I unearthed all of my journals and lined them all up on a shelf. There’s one made of teal leather that zips all the way around. It’s filled with memories that seem so distant, they must belong to another person, another lifetime. There’s a mustard yellow one, illustrated with black stringy flowers, all printed on recycled paper. Moments and mementos, written and pasted on pages.

From 3rd grade to my thirties…an anthology in scribbly half-cursive.

Are you a journal-er? Clearly, I always have been. But in recent years, I’ve become more of an occasion-based journal keeper. When I feel overwhelmed, confused, scared, I write things I can’t seem to say out loud, to myself or to anyone else.

Now the chronicles of my life’s turmoil is concentrated, neatly tucked away on a single shelf in a small closet.

There’s the large gray notebook that was gifted to me as the Overture began and the curtain rose on my last Nutcracker with the company. “One Las is Never One Las”my dear friend had scrawled on the inside cover. Just one look at the empty pages had me fighting tears the entire performance.

One of my favorite journals in the collection is my first one. A proud acquisition from a Scholastic Book Fair- remember those? Yes, I still have it. It’s yellow, with little images of roller skates, butterfly clips, and sparkly sunglasses collaged all over. My favorite feature- what really sealed the deal- was the small drawer in the back for hiding away precious treasures. Of course, this diary came with a lock and key for making private all of my deepest, darkest, 8-year-old secrets.

I’ve been writing this digital journal for 3 months officially today! This week’s entry is short and sweet because, well, I’ve been needing a lot more physical journal lately. Soon I will share, but for now, I’m still working it all out!

I wanted to thank you for following along by offering up some journaling prompts, should you need some handwritten therapy of your own. I recommend pouring yourself a warm beverage, changing into something cozy, lighting a candle, and picking out a nice pen and a quiet place where you can reflect…

1. What themes have been coming up in your life lately? (Change, monotony, relationship friction, joy, fear?) List them, expand on them, or don’t.

2. What can you let go of? (Stumps of taper candles gathering dust in your closet, the stand-up comedy class you enrolled in for fun but now dread every Thursday?) Every time you say “no” to something, you say “yes” to something else, and it’s okay if you don’t even know what that thing is yet. (Thanks, Not For Everyone Pod for the reminder.)

3. What do you want to continue or usher into your life? (Been loving your morning walks, feel like you need more time to hang out with your friends? Write it down.)

4. What are you grateful for? Thanksgiving is coming up, embrace the reason for the season.

Even if you don’t take these to pen and paper (though I hope you will consider it- there’s no replacement for a good journaling session!) maybe you’d like to set aside some time to think through the prompts. I hope they bring some clarity and peace to your life as we head into the busy, busy year end.