Um, what’s my name again?
Can you suffer from “baby brain” years after having a baby? I know I sure feel like I do. Many days I feel like I’m in a blur. If it wasn’t for my Keurig maker in the mornings, I’m sure I wouldn’t even know my own name! There is so much that goes into raising little people and it all happens so quickly. With life being a constant buzz of activity I find that it’s hard to take it all in. This is the reason that my 2019 new year’s resolution was to start journaling.
So many people have said, “kids grow up in the blink of an eye, so enjoy them while they’re little!” And, even though most days I wish I only had one bum to wipe – my own, I know there will come a day when I long to have these days back. The time when my kids were so small and so needy! So to help immortalize these moments and aid my foggy mommy memory, I’ve started a journal.
I’ve wanted to journal for many years now. Ever since my mom gave me her journal that she wrote in when I was a newborn. When she gave me her journal I thought, “what an amazing gift to give your child!” Unfortunately, I crapped the bed on starting a journal when my little guys were newborns. But better late than never!
Why I’m Journaling
Not too long ago I found out that my Auntie Iris had recently come into the possession of a journal from her sister (my auntie Joyce) who had passed away in 2003. My auntie Iris, told me how as she read Joyce’s journal she felt as if she was sitting across the table from her. The journal was circa 1959 and reading what Joyce had written about her day was a direct look into her life back then. In her journal, Auntie Joyce wrote about the birth of my mom (her youngest sister), the weather, dances and movies she attended, even the price of turkeys.
Now, I’m not sure if my auntie Joyce ever intended for her journal to be for anyone other then herself. But 60 years later what it has become is something for her family to cherish and treasure. The knowledge of my Auntie Joyce’s journal compelled me to put pen to paper and start a record of my own memories.
I love the idea of having my own memory book. In a way, it’s like a looking glass back in time into a day in my life. I find that it’s easy to remember the big events in life. But often the menial parts of day-to-day living get lost in the hustle and bustle. Not every day is worth celebrating or is memorable. And to be honest there are just some days that I’d rather forget. But, that’s the beauty of journal writing. It seems like with the flip of a page, your day is over and there is always something new waiting for you tomorrow.
Selecting My Journal
Because my days are already so full, I was pretty choosy when selecting what to write in! Obviously, I can be wordy and can go on about things longer than needed. But, I didn’t want a journal that allowed me the room to do that. I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew and add another daily task to my life that ended up feeling like a chore. I kind of suck at chores and they don’t always get done. At the end of the day, I didn’t want an un-journaled-in journal to be the cherry on top of the dirty pile of laundry in the corner of the room!
As a result, the perfect journal for me was the “One line a day, five-year memory book” by Panda Studio. This journal has room for 5 lines of writing per day and contains 5 years of journaling all on the same page! For me, it was just the perfect amount of room to record a quick post-day reflection! It also had a pretty cover… and I kind of like pretty things!
So, wish me luck! I’m on entry day #3 out of day #1825 in my new journal journey! I’m interested to know who else out there is journaling or wants to write in a journal! How long have you been journaling and what are your reasons for doing it? I would love to hear your feedback!
