Joyful journaling

anne-frank

I always picture a day in the future (long after I am gone), when my great-grandchildren go rummaging through my things and find an old dusty journal full of witty stories, anecdotes and poems and marvel at how talented their great-grandmother was. (It’s another thing that I hardly”write” in journals anymore, and my great-grandchildren might not know the meaning of a paper notebook.)

I have read that all successful people write something everyday, and the competitive person that I am, of course I had to start writing too…

There is enough written about the therapeutic effects of journaling. I won’t bore you with those. Here is why I suggest it-

To maintain a legible handwriting (remember I am a doctor and my penmanship has deteriorated over the years..)
To flex some language muscles- sometimes it is difficult to write coherently. (Trust me, it can be useful when you have to help your child with their homework.)
To record important things (because you are not an elephant and won’t remember most things that you should)
To use up those special pens you might have collected as graduation presents.
To realize how illogical your chain of thoughts has been, and to break that.
To read what you wrote later, and be embarrassed by your thoughts in private.
Once in a while, you might actually jot down an idea that is brilliant and helps you move forward.
The time spent journaling is probably time spent away from checking out social media showcasing others’ perfect lives i.e. less time spent getting green with envy.
You feel like a writer (or pretend to be one).
Your journal might be the one area of your life where you do not feel the need to embellish facts or hide the bitter truth.