I've always had a sporadic relationship with journaling. It's not that I can't see the appeal, I just never have been able to rear myself into keeping up the habit.
Why is this? Well, my so-called "handwriting," for one. I've written nothing but chicken-scratch since elementary school. I'd just gotten the handle of the basic letters when they sprang cursive on us. I mean, have you ever seen an eight-year-old boy with steady hands? I didn't think so!
I'm joking of course. The truth is journals need not be legible to be valuable. Journaling helps us to understands our emotions akin to sorting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. We may think we already know everything that we would write down, but in modern life there are precious few moments that our thoughts aren’t otherwise preoccupied with things like work, news, and social media. By putting our thoughts and feelings on paper, we give them space outside from the bustling world of the brain.
With New Years just around the corner, the time has come for me to confront my journaling apprehensions once again, and I hope you that consider the same.
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