Journals

I've been keeping a journal for almost 30 years. Even before I bought real journals, I had notebooks full of thoughts, ideas, pieces of songs and poems. A great deal of what I wrote is similar to what I write on this blog.....things I see, hear and feel. In reading back over the journals, I used to beat myself up a great deal. I'd set a goal and if I didn't reach it, I laid it on hard. Some of the goals I set were unrealistic so I set myself up for failure.
I always took my journal when I traveled and I dedicated a great deal of time describing what I saw and how it affected me.
A year is a pretty good piece of your life and if you don't do something to help you remember, you lose valuable experiences.
Today as I went through some of my journals, I came across an entry for the first time I ever went to California. Reading those pages sent me back to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes. I went to Fisherman's Wharf and had hot clam chowder in a sour dough bowl. I walked to the end of the wharf and saw the sea lions that lounge on platforms built especially for them. From the end of the wharf, you can see Alcatraz and on beyond Marin County and the bay side town of Sausalito. You can also see the Golden Gate Bridge.
The fruit, seafood and vegetables were fresh and aromatic. I saw a hand carved carousel horse that was as big as a pony and was a work of art.
It was a joy reading back over some of those old journals. Taking the time to write about your life as it happens is a gift that keeps on giving. Not only to yourself but to those you leave behind when your journey is over.