The eldest and I were talking about the importance of journaling. I think, as parents, it’s nice to try and establish some habits around journaling when the kids are young. (For example, with the line-a-day diary I blogged about awhile back!) Kids can also doodle a day, track what books they’re reading, jot down bullet form lists of what they did that day. It doesn’t have to be as structured as a classroom assignment. (In fact, keeping it as unstructured as possible is probably a good idea.)
Keeping track of life events – big and small – is a good idea for many reasons. It’s good writing practice, even for adults! It requires thought, time, mindfulness. It forces us to pause and consider. These are all things that can fall by the wayside when we get busy. Also, it is simply nice to have those memories stored away! This is one of the reasons I’m so thankful I’ve kept this blog.
Our conversation also reminded me that I used to track my Moments of Bliss here on the blog. It’s something I’ve been wanting to start it up again, mostly just for me, because it makes me happy to remember the best moments and I like to look back on them from time to time.
This one happened yesterday.
The sun was shining brightly and the world was quiet but for the chirping of birds and the chatter of squirrels. It seemed like the forest was waking up from a long sleep. The trail was frozen and slippery. I carefully picked my way through the woods, eyes down on the path ahead of me, but from time to time I paused to take in the world around me. When I stopped to observe I very much felt like I was part of the woods. My quiet, solitary presence was a tiny piece of a much bigger picture that was so full of life.
I fed the birds from my hand. I put seeds on my hat. How can such a simple thing be so joyous?
I took deep breaths, imagining that my innards were being cleaned and that the rush of cold air was a tidal wave that swept the cobwebs from my brain. The sun shone on my face and I felt like a dying battery coming to life again. This place was charging me up. I was getting stronger with every step. Amazing.
As I made my way back to the parking long I smiled at a young family that was feeding the chickadees. That used to be us, but I wasn’t sad about it, I was happy. Happy and awake.
