Last week, I read and listened to a lot of reporting about the siege at the Capitol, the Presidential transition, and updates on COVID-19. I went way too deep into the news. I also received sad news on Monday. My mom's dog, Henry, died.
Henry was a crazy dog, and I loved him. I took hundreds of My Morning View photos with Henry in the frame. Henry was easy to photograph because he was very food motivated. He’d do almost anything for a treat. Currently, I’m gathering my photos of Henry for my mom. Henry was a beautiful dog, and he will be missed deeply.
Amid all this, I’ve been journaling. I’ve been an avid journaler for a few decades because the practice helps me process my feelings, synthesize ideas, and keep track of my life. I can’t imagine my day-to-day routine without a plethora of pens and notebooks.
Since readers have inquired about my journaling process, I thought it would be fun to share a round-up of my 2021 journal collection. I hope the round-up below inspires you to keep writing!
Logbook of Delights
Last year, I read The Book of Delights by Ross Gay and his essays delighted me. Gay's book is on my "read it again list" because it's so inspiring. It's no secret that 2020 was a rough year, and based on last week's political violence, it looks like 2021 is going to be challenging. No matter what happens, I'll be cultivating delight in my daily life.
This year, I'm keeping a small logbook where I record daily delights that I experience. We're only a few weeks into 2021, and I could list dozens of delights that I've enjoyed. Here are a few favorites: eating doughnuts with blue and white sprinkles on top, taking photos of said doughnuts, going on long walks with Logan, snuggling with Christie the cat, going to bed at 8 p.m., and more.
Taking note of delight doesn't mean that I'm blind to the horrors of the pandemic, political violence, and more. Instead, noticing and recording daily delights has given me optimism, joy, and faith that things will get better.
Commonplace Book
This year, I decided to create and maintain a commonplace book. I needed a system to keep track of quotes, along with the books, articles, and podcasts that inspire me.
In A Brief Guide to Keeping a Commonplace Book Ash said, “The commonplace books differs from bullet journals in that it is devoted to knowledge-making, and not necessarily planning out one’s life ... It's an excellent tool for readers, helping memorialize words, phrases, quotes, passages, and images.”
I also liked Mary Karr’s description of commonplace notebooks. Recently, Karr was on Tim Ferriss' podcast and she said, “... mostly what I write down are pieces of language or things, poems that I read, paragraphs, anything, so that you’re just constantly copying in longhand. You can’t type it. You’re constantly copying things that are beautiful. You’re constantly guzzling beauty, you’re guzzling the beautiful language. So that you’re kind of steeped in it like a fruitcake in good brandy.”
Writing down quotes, facts, and more in my commonplace notebook has boosted my reading retention. Plus, “guzzling beauty” is something delightful to do.
The Planner/Dairy
Last year, I ordered a large 18-month daily planner from Moleskine by mistake. I'm actually glad I made the mistake because the large planner is a great tool to organize my days, track tasks, and process my feelings.
Feel free to steal the ideas I mentioned above for your journaling practice. If you're new to journaling or need a refresher, check out my e-books—Write to Flourish: A Beginner’s Guide to Journaling or Everyday Adventures: Tiny Quests to Spark Your Creative Life.
With gratitude,
Tammy
