Notes on: Journaling and Poetry

Oh, to be like Elena Gilbert...

I came into journaling the way most people do this day and age: after reading The Artists Way. No but seriously. Before reading that book, journaling was something I always aspired to maintain as a regular practice. Oh, to be like Elena Gilbert and write because I NEEDED to 😭 Even after working on the daily pages, there were plenty of days when journaling felt absolutely taxing. But I must say, having that sort of meditative way to write has been both inspiring and relaxing. Poetry, on the other hand, has always been something I've aspired to maintain and do actually practice regularly. I had a friend in high school who had journals and journals filled with her poetry, and that still inspires me as a 20-something.

For me, journaling is a meditation on the mundane. It can go deep, but often I write about the little things that make me happy, sad, or inspired. Poetry, on the other hand, is like touching a live wire. It's like truly being near to the wild heart of life, to borrow a Lispector euphemism. I don't think I'll ever stop writing poetry and striving to feel that heightened sense of emotional tenderness, as for journaling... well, I'm a few weeks behind on my morning pages...