Starting our latest alphabet-inspired journal page with a prompt about rationale feels a little risky. It tends to put a person on the defensive when you ask them about their rationale for that thing they're up to, don't you think? As in, explain yourself! I worried this could be off-putting. (Especially since I haven't posted in a while.)

But I hope you'll bear with me because I think there's another way to look at it.

My trusty Gage Canadian Dictionary, circa 1983, charmingly defines rationale as "the whys and wherefores." To me, this description feels less like an inquisition and more like an invitation to explore the reasons we do the stuff we do every day.

That's how I've approached the first prompt on this page -- as a way to look more deeply into one of my everyday things. Because, and this is my thinking, an affirming sense of purpose resides in the why. It's a lovely reminder that even the smallest, most ordinary parts of our days are meaningful and part of a bigger whole.

And, if there happens to be one thing you're up to that doesn't have a why or it has a wherefore that no longer works for you, perhaps there are tweaks or alternatives that could make an impact on your day. And where better than your journal to sort through the possibilities and map out new ways forward?

If you'd like to journal the letter r, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

P.S. Another charming Gage definition related to this page -- ramble: "wander about for pleasure." Love this!

P.P.S. After writing my rationale, I took the prompt a step further and wrote a rationale for my rationale. The why behind the why. I'm quite thrilled with the result -- a lovely little list of new ideas to consider. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it goes. :)