Blink. Blink. Blink.
If you’ve been balking at the idea of keeping a diary or journal, think again. I’ve been at it for 48 years, and I can tell you firsthand that once it becomes a routine, keeping a diary or journal is not a brain drain at all. Besides, you don’t have to write every single day; just whenever you have something worth saying.
Journal or Diary: Tools for Personal Growth is a lens that came about quite suddenly when I ran into a box of old notebooks–personal journals–on my closet shelf. Everyone knows a treasure like that demands an investigation, and an investigation means reading and remembering and reminiscing and shedding a tear or two.
And wondering where the years have gone.
Journals are a slick time tunnel. Within seconds, I was that young mom writing a sappy poem to my newborn son, begging him to promise me he’d grow up v-e-r-y slowly. Open a different notebook and I’m seeing him off to kindergarten, tucking my toddler daughter in bed for her afternoon nap, then working on my weekly writing assignment.
Blink. Blink. Blink.
My kids are now well into their thirties. Now I journal about grandchildren, home repairs, joint supplements, and flowerbeds. And I make Squidoo lenses about the same things.
In creating this lens about journals and diaries, I discovered how many different types can be found online. I unearthed some real gems on the Web, and think you’ll enjoy exploring them as much as I did. Drop by and add your three cents to my lists, too. There’s something for everybody.
New to Squidoo? Make your own lens today!
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Tags: diary, family, journaling, life, memories, personal growth
January 7th, 2009 at 6:41 am
Great idea, something I always wanted to do but never did.
Those cherished memories, thoughts of the spur of the moment, they fade as you get older, but picking up the notebooks again you can relive your life.
I am so envious you managed to retain all those memories.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:50 am
Recording personal memories is a great way to leave a legacy to your children. I think of some of my lenses as part of my legacy as they include all sorts of memories.