by Donna Donabella
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts
I am not a good journaler. I don't journal daily. I don't have a regular practice. I have tried, but as of yet I have not been able to fully plunge in. Maybe because to be a good journaler you have to develop a habit, and I bore easily with habits and routine. Maybe there is a fear that I will not have enough to say, or is it a fear of what I might say on the page.
But no matter the reason I do not journal regularly; I will journal for specific reasons from time to time throughout the year. For instance, if I am feeling the need to acknowledge gratitude, I will keep a gratitude journal, which is actually the longest journal habit I have been able to maintain.
Or perhaps it is a time of change, and I need to write to help direct me through the change. But regardless of the reason, when I do keep a journal for 7 days or 7 weeks or even 7 months (a miracle), I find great benefit from it. Particularly if there is an end goal in the journaling.
Usually journaling sets the mood for me. Through it I can search my soul to uncover the knowledge buried deep within. Then I create a plan, work the plan and step back and let go. Once I do this, I find my hard work grows and bears fruit and flower.
And that was how it was when Mari McCarthy of CreateWriteNow sent out her 7 day challenge, Who Are You? I decided I needed to do a bit of digging to move myself along my new path of retirement. And while the ebook challenged me, it was on Day 5, Courage, that I found my voice for change. As a result, I wrote a poem about change that was recently published on my new blog, Living From Happiness.
So what have I learned from my periodic journaling? It is not about how often or how much you write in your journal, it is about the process you develop for yourself. For me, through journaling from time to time I have found a way to give my thoughts a voice, thereby setting my soul free to fully thrive. And I intend to keep that voice going through my written work in my paper journals and on my blogs.
Note: The Sunflower here represents Pure Thoughts in the Language of Flowers.
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Donna Donabella - My education prepared me for a career in the education field where I worked as a teacher and administrator for over 30 years until retiring in February of 2014. I am married to my soul mate, Robert, who is my champion. Gardening has been an important part of my life for almost 50 years and I blog about life and gardening at Gardens Eye View. In July, 2014 I began a new journey in writing with my new blog, Living From Happiness, where I celebrate life, lessons, change, challenges and creativity through musings, poetry and photography.
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