Write About You

A couple weeks ago, I re-recorded some old notes from a short class I did on journaling and thought, This can go on my blog! Then I started feeling my long-time BFF's presence--good ol' Self-Doubt--and thought to myself this morning, Surely, you can think of something better to write about. No one wants to read about journaling.

Truth be told, I'm too tired to think of much else. So let's get this party started!

Growing up, I was instructed by people in my church to keep a journal. I had zero problems filling notebooks, but those were for fiction. They held stories of adventure, magic, and, quite frankly, people who were going through things far more interesting than me.

Still, I tried.

My journal-keeping has been hit and miss over the years. I went over the journal I kept my senior year and into my early twenties. Bleh! It was just as bad as Facebook popping up with old posts I’d written back in the day. I cringed through the whole thing.

But at least I had the memories.

I have started and stopped many journals over the years, but the latest one has been in progress for three years, which is pretty good for me, and I have tried my best to update it at least every few months.

Last year, there was an activity for Relief Society with my church. I’ll be honest, I usually pass on those sort of things. But they were asking for ideas/volunteers for small “classes”, and a random thought occurred to me. I could discuss journaling.

Now why in the world would I do that? I’m not an expert. I’m not a diehard journal-keeper. But I couldn’t shake the thought, so I wrote down my name with “journaling” next to it. I was confident they wouldn’t care about that, but at least I volunteered my time where I normally wouldn’t.

And then I was asked if I would still be willing to teach the class.

Serves me right for ever filling out the sheet.

I gave it some serious thought, and the following is what I discussed with the gals who attended the activity in the morning. It wasn’t brilliant, but maybe, if you’re wishing to keep a journal or wonder why you even should, you will get something from it. I may have gotten more out of it than anyone else there.

The first question was how? How can one journal? That’s easy. Any way you want to. It can be handwritten, electronic, oral, visual… Whatever floats your boat. It just depends on the kind of journal you want to keep.

• Traditional - Write the date and narrate your day-to-day goings-on in your life

• Bullet - To-do lists, goals, tracking moods, tracking expenses, recording workouts or food intake, etc.; honestly, I’m not familiar with this one, but it’s pretty popular

• Lists - Write titles like “My Favorite Movies”, “Worst Days of My Life”, “Best Days of My Life”, “People I Wish I Could Meet”, etc.. If you struggle with providing detail, having short bullet points can be helpful

• Poetry

• Short stories

• Memoir

• Letters or emails to your spouse, kids, grandchildren, friends, etc.

• Blog or social media posts

• A line-a-day or prompt journals

• Sketchbook

• Scrapbook or other photo albums - I have a lot of Chatbooks. I’m probably better at documenting my family’s lives that way than I am the traditional route

• Biography - Tell your stories to someone who loves to write and let them be your scribe

• Audio/Video Recording

There are probably hundreds of other ways than what I’ve listed, but find what medium works for you, and commit to it! I do have a couple different journals (i.e. my handwritten journal, my Chatbooks for pictures, my blog), but if I try to do too many at once, I’ll lose focus on all of them.

I also find that I was doing my most consistent journaling was when I had one day out of the week that I chose specifically to update my journal. That slipped after I had my daughter, Emma, but I should get back to it. Now I have a goal of updating my blog once a week, and to make sure I stay on top of it, I have picked Wednesdays as the day I post. Not everyone is going to want a schedule. You have to fit it into your life the way that works best for you.

But why does it even matter? Like I said, I had notebooks galore when I was growing up, and obviously writing wasn’t an issue for me. But writing about me? Ugh, different story.

It still feels important, though, so after some thought, I wrote out a list of why.

One, writing down thoughts, emotions, goals, struggles, and other daily events helps us process clearly, can give us new perspective, and can be rather therapeutic. I know of counselors or therapists who recommend it.

Two, revisiting your past can have multiple benefits, such as: reminding you of happy times with people you love; inspiring you with spiritual moments or moments of clarity that you recorded; encouraging you that you can tackle the now challenges because of how you were able to get through the past challenges; comforting you with the knowledge that pain doesn't stay forever because look at how much you felt then that has faded over time; keeping parents or grandparents humble because they have physical proof of what they were like and how they thought when they were teenagers, etc... I'm serious about that last one. I cringed so much reading my old journal, but at the same time, I was able to see how much I've learned and grown as a person.

For me, the third is a religious tie. I feel closer to the Spirit when I am quiet and pondering about my life. I can receive promptings and clarity that I don’t believe come from myself but are given to me. If you’re religious and want to increase your communication with God, giving yourself this reflection time with your journal open before you is a great way to do it. Even if you are spiritual in one sense but not really a believer in a higher power, you are still opening your mind up in a similar way as meditation.

Lastly, we can write for our posterity. I’ll be honest. I struggle with family history. It’s cool seeing the names on my family tree, but they don’t mean a lot to me because I haven’t learned their stories. That’s heartbreaking. What if my great-great grandkid feels the same way about me? Who is this Ashton Baker and why should I care? Well, if he or she has my journals and can see me as a real person rather than just a name on a branch, they’ll have a chance to get to know me and feel a connection. They will be able to love me even though they have never met me.

Or maybe my children will get a kick teasing me over the dumb things I wrote when I was in my twenties. Or maybe they’ll have something to hang onto when they’re grieving me after I’ve passed away. Or, if I’m not being so self-deprecating or bleak about my eventual demise, they will be closer to me because they learn about past-Mom rather than just knowing the person I am in the here and now.

Journaling gives us a chance to leave pieces of ourselves behind for people who care or will care. It’s for us, it’s for our loved ones, and it’s really fun, if you find the right method and let loose.

So find what suits your taste and get working on leaving your prints all over the place. You matter now, you matter forever. Sorry to try to end in such a sappy fashion, but it happens to be true.

Also, I recently read an enjoyable book called Write for Your Life by Anna Quindlen. If you're interested in why people write, or why everyone should write, I recommend it! Especially the first chapter.

Pictured: A copy of Anna Quindlen's book, my journal, and some dog hair