Switching gears to try something new: an ongoing collection of journal pages dedicated to capturing small, but meaningful, everyday moments as a way to explore your experiences and write your story – as it unfolds. I’ve started with six, but there are more in the works.
If you’d like to take a peek, you’ll find them here.
Our life stories. Finding meaning in our moments. Learning from experience. Becoming who we are. Enjoying the ride (or at least parts of it).
Some of the things I've been thinking about this week ... and for as long as I can remember.
I have a project in mind. It's both big and small. The thought of sharing it makes me really nervous. But it's the good kind of nervous, where curiosity wins out over second thoughts. I hope you'll stay tuned!
In the meantime, what important moments stand out in your life story so far?
Today, I'm savouring cool breezes after last week's heat wave, gooey melted cheese on my lunchtime sandwich, the quiet in my office, and hugs from my girls.
What's on your list?
This week's prompt is all about life's imperfections -- the ones you're making the best of, the ones you're working to change, and the ones you like just as they are.
I love this prompt for two reasons: first, it's a reminder that we can choose how to manage the challenges that come our way and, second, it reminds us that some imperfections fit our one-of-a-kind lives rather perfectly.
There are definitely some things I'm working to change, but there are also a wide variety imperfect things I wouldn't want any other way: our tiny home, my closest relationships, the way it takes me forever to chop vegetables (it drives my husband nuts!), my journaling.
When I was learning how to knit as a child, I remember complaining to my mom that some of my super-tight stitches made my swatch uneven (and I really wanted it to be perfect.) I'm paraphrasing here, but she said something like, "That's how you know it's handmade. The imperfections make it beautiful." I've never forgotten that and I often repeat it to my own daughters.
How about you? Which of life's imperfections are you working to change and which ones are you happy with just as they are?
This week, I'm writing a small blurb in my newsletter about finding meaning and beauty in everyday moments and now I can’t stop thinking about it.
It's an idea at the core of my journaling – and my life. This is hard to write -- maybe it shouldn't be -- but I think I revel in everyday moments because I find day-to-day life really hard. My natural disposition is pretty dark. Negative thoughts come far more easily to me than positive ones. So the positive stuff I do, write, and say – it’s almost always intentional, deliberate, fought for, chosen over something negative.
And you know what? I'm grateful for whatever it is in me that makes me work to find the good. It means I am always on the lookout for silver linings, for interesting things I missed in my initial evaluations, for bright spots and points of connection in the people I meet. It helps me take fewer things for granted. It helps me judge less and care more. It helps me love my life. And, for the most part, even when life is especially hard, I really do.
That’s what I want to share in my journal work online, the search for the good and the meaningful and -- most of all -- the finding of the good and meaningful in places we have access to right now and in moments we are experiencing right now. I have the feeling I’m not the only one who has to work hard for both.
This week’s printable journal page was an exploration of that search. Today, I cut and pasted two sections from the page (and some pretty pastel paper!) into my little notebook. I’ll write about the effort I’ve put into a collaboration with an amazing partner that led to an opportunity for us to speak at an international conference next week and I’ll work hard to frame this experience as an adventure – something to be enjoyed rather than worried over.
How about you? What efforts and adventures have you been up to so far this week?
This week's printable journal page is out! It follows up on last week's format, but also goes in its own direction. To be honest, I feel like I'm going on instinct here and I hope you don't mind exploring with me.
I was thinking about last week's noticing, but also about some of the daily sensations and experiences that can be good sources for reflection, in addition to be good things to record and to remember about our lives.
The thing about this page is that it approaches the week more by moments of experience than by chronological days.
I'm going to spend the week filling it out, little by little as I go, and I'll share some of my progress along the way.
For right now, though, the prompt that jumps out at me is taste. It has been a quiet day of writing and prepping for a talk next week, but it has also been a yummy day. Cranberry focaccia for breakfast -- which always reminds me of my mom's kitchen because I had it there first -- and lovely roast and mashed potato leftovers for lunch brought home late last night from my mother-in-law's kitchen -- which contain a unique blend of herbs and spices that everyone who knows her would recognize as hers.
How about you? Have there been any tasty moments in your day so far?
It's Friday, thank goodness! I learned a lot from this week's printable -- both from spending more time noticing and from working through the new format. I've posted the final pages below.
The notebook:
The single page:
I had a lot of mixed feelings about the page and the prompt and myself this week, which I think are reflected in my entries -- they're a little scattered and unfocused. (Although I thoroughly enjoyed making the little stitched flower and sewing it directly onto the page.)
The upside of a week filled with doubt was figuring out how to manage it, how to regain focus. I read a lot and talked to people I love and trust and I let myself off the hook for not knowing all the answers right now.
In the process, I ended up with an idea for a variation of this week's page, which I've turned into next week's printable. So, who knows? Perhaps I'll look back on this week as one of the good ones.
How about you? What did you notice this week?
Our first Patreon-supported project is out and it's free for everyone!
It's the new 10 Minute Journal page you see above and you'll find it ready for immediate download right here. It was such a joy to create, which feels just about right since the subject we chose was "finding joy in everyday moments." I hope you'll love it!
It's a strange thing, to share journal entries. I've updated my journal page and my notebook setup, but if I wasn't sharing my progress with the world, I think I would have noticed and written about different things -- harder things.
My goal online is to be positive as often as possible and to share the good stuff. Because there's lots of good out there. And there is definitely good stuff here in my world this week, which I've included in my pages. But I feel like it's not the whole picture of this week.
I'm not sure what to do about that. What happens when your entries don't match the pretty boxes and lines? That's something I'm still figuring out over here.
That said, I'm really enjoying writing in both formats. They feel welcoming, they make me want to put my thoughts on paper, which is a good thing. I think they're a good first step toward something more substantive.
Here are both formats with today's entries. The notebook setup:
The single page version:
I'm planning to add a small embellishment to the single page. I've started a bit of stitching, which I hope to finish by tomorrow. It's a little sketch of one of the flowers I saw in the woods on Monday.
How about you? What did you notice today?
I'm having such fun experimenting with this week's printable journal prompt. I printed two copies -- one to cut up and rearrange in my notebook and one to use as a single journal page.
Here's my progress so far in my notebook:
The (almost) final layout is below. It includes a photo of some lovely white flowers I noticed on my walk yesterday with the pup and one of my favourite photos of the pup herself. I'll just give it one more once over and start taping down the elements.
Here's my progress so far with the single page copy:
This week's prompt is: one thing you noticed today.
One thing I noticed today is that the world suddenly seems a lot louder. It's a sensation I've been trying to put my finger on for a few days, but it finally dawned on me that it's because winter is finally over and our windows are open! I feel like I suddenly hear every car, lawn mower, siren, and construction crew in the neighbourhood. To be honest, it's put me on edge. It's temporary, I know. In a week, I'll be used to it and it won't distract me. But today, it's just about the only thing I'm noticing.
What did you notice today?