Esotropiart

...planted by cup from Taco Bell, filling a journal in season.

I finally filled another journal. Completing journals used to be rather routine in my younger years. Journaling is something I've been doing on and off since high school. Sometimes I go a year or so without writing a single thing. Right now I'm in a journaling craze, unlike any other I can remember. I've been writing as much as 10 to 20 pages in a single day!

I feel like journaling is time well invested. My journal entries nearly almost involve reflection about something I'm experiencing, either physically, mentally or spiritually. I try to record important events as well as intriguing ideas that come to mind. Other times I will copy something verbatim that I find important enough to review slowly, like a letter, scripture, etc. Obviously it would be easier to just include material by slipping it between the pages, but I enjoy copying things. It helps me concentrate on what I'm reading or studying. I suppose there must be some scribe in me. Hopefully I don't have those same character traits of the scribes that were the enemies of Jesus! Obviously it's hardly fair to assume they are all bad. After all, we wouldn't even have the Bible (or many other important religious and historical documents) today if it weren't for scribes!

For the first time in 15 years or so I summed up the work represented in my journals. It would be fun to go through them and get more interesting stats, like how many poems I've written there, drawings, and other junk. For now, here's the basics (surprising even to me!):

1. Number of "Completed" Journals: 13
   I put this in quotes because two of my journals were not filled. I left many empty pages. Otherwise they are all full. I tend to like to switch to another journal, especially after long periods of not journaling.
2. Number of Pages Written: 1767
   Wow! That makes a pretty large book, longer than some publications of the Bible (though my content is filthy rags in comparison to that particular text)!

I was getting very anxious to finish this last journal. Originally, I used to give my journals "names". Don't worry, I'm not crazy! The names were simply "Journal 1", "Journal 2" and so on. I created a title page graphic for some of my first journals (haven't done that in a LONG time!). In that pattern, I just finished Journal 13. I have already started Journal 14. Oh, and by the way, I am a little crazy!

Interestingly enough, Journal 13 was written over a period of almost 4 years! Reveals how regular I've been (not). Interestingly enough, half of the journal's page volume spans about 3 years. There was a nine month silence, then I started up again recently. I filled the second half (91 pages) in about 23 days. It goes to show you that when I'm in the mood, I really write (mostly gibberish)!

I haven't decided how long to wait until I go back and read all my old journals. I've read some pages here and there, but not in great volume. I don't expect there's much in there that anyone else would value much, though certain family members might have some interest. I'm trying to be a little more intentional nowadays about recording events that might be of historical interest later. I'm not talking world events and such, but rather personal history. As I was counting up the pages for the stats above, I realize how much more inspired and creative I used to be. Some of my old journals are a sight to see! I have always valued good handwriting, and some of my oldies are really goodies! Not only have I lost some of my former creativity, but my writing skill used to be more polished I think - at least more entertaining to read.