journaling tip tuesday: the first page
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Starting a new journal can be daunting. A whole book of blank pages just waiting to be filled in is enough to stop you in your tracks. But actually, it is kind of exciting. Imagine all the new experiences and thoughts ahead that will put down in the book. It all will be written as your story unfolds.
I just finished a journal that I have been keeping since December 2007. Now as I start a new journal with a blank first page, I wonder what lies ahead. When I begin a new journal I like to create a first page of intention. There is no way for me to know what will fill the pages of my new journal, but I do know at the time of starting that there are certain issues in my life that need attention. Topics that I need to focus on, matters that I need to attend to. I like to do this because it can set a tone for the journal. You can even think of it as a title page. Think about the possiblilities that open up for you when you first page just has the word “explore” or “dream”. Or you can have a simple and concrete intention of “this journal is going to house overheard observations of my two year old”. The first page of intention can be anything.
And just becuase you have a first page of intention, does not mean that you have stick with it throughout the life of that journal. Journaling is a companion to our lives, never predictable. It can, and should, evolve with you.
That day on a cold December in 2007 I wrote that I wanted to explore what “home” meant to me. It’s interesting to see how in this journal that I just finished there is an evolution starting with these thoughts, to our decision to move, our home search, our move, and then settling into a new city.
detail from that first page of my journal
If you are not starting a journal, an interesting exercise to do is to go through your journal you are already using. Read through your entries and see if you see any recurring themes or topics. Write a journal entry on what you find. It may be enlightening!
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