9/30 A Month of Journaling in Review
Well, as all of you can tell by the dates on these past 30 posts, I wrote a blog entry for every day in the month of September! Did I actually do them all in September? [Insert TFW you’re completely embarrassed but not really because who cares it is DONE!!!!!]
In gratitude, I answer these questions from Jayme and John as the final writing prompt.
-What did you gain from this month-long experience of journaling?
I gained a lot of content for my blog! Okay, that’s not the most important, but it is true. I gained a daily opportunity to come back to my love of writing. I gained pride in that I actually finished out a 30 day challenge (even though it took me 39 days). I gained the realization that I am way better at typing when I do it more often, and that my fingers can remember how to spell once I get into the swing of things….otherwise I am still a miserable speller. Thank you spellcheck. I gained the skill to not over analyze and edit the shit out of every post, to just publish it and know I will have the next one to work on. I gained the appreciation for my inner voice of honesty, my gut reactions, and my courage to lay out some scary truths in these pages.
-What did these questions teach you?
These questions taught me how much I enjoy reading and responding in community. The chance to “play along” with your IG followers made this game of journaling quite enjoyable. They taught me that I can connect with deeper, personal stories in a more open faced sandwich kind of way.
-What was fun about this?
The fun part was letting myself take time on the computer without apologizing for wanting quiet internet access. It was fun to come back to this blog, find new pictures, and make myself more KNOWN!
-What was challenging?
Living in a van makes this much more of a challenge. I committed to writing ON THE BLOG, not commenting on your Instagram posts or writing an Instagram post of my own on my phon. Getting these words on my own website was a priority, and it wasn’t easy. It’s not always convenient to ask your friends for the favor of solitude when you’re at their houses with their families, pets and belongings. It’s not particularly comfortable when you don’t have a specific office space, or a cozy seat at a table, or a couch that isn’t in the middle of all the action, to whip out the laptop and put in earplugs and try to ignore the distractions. Which is why I took days away from the computer screen and I didn’t beat myself up for missing a day, knowing I could post in the future.
-Would you partake in more writing prompts given the opportunity?
For sure!
-Do you plan to continue journaling?
Yes, probably going back to my handwritten journal and saving more specific posts for the blog though.
-What topic(s) did we not cover that you wish we would have?
I’m not sure my expectations were ever so specific that I wished for a certain prompt or another—I enjoyed going with the flow! I’m excited to hear what some of your prompts may be in the future, too.
