Over the last week, I've been getting into journal mode. I have a horrible track record of maintaining a regular diary or journal. I start writing and then I wonder why I'm doing it. After a couple sentences I'm already bored with the details of my own life, weighed down by "and then I's" and "so after that's." Not that it's truly boring, it's just that I haven't found a successful way to write about my life in a way that reads like good fiction - or, at least, a way that will make me want to read it when I'm 80. But lists? I can do lists. They are focused and manageable, like "great things that happened to me today" or "two things I learned today," "places I walked," etc. Lists can be reflective or superficial depending on my mood. Most important, though, they remind me of the details without bearing too many - just small glimpses into my life at that moment. And I know that in the next few weeks, I'll want to remember all the wonderful things a person can feel and experience when traveling around Europe, so I better get some practice in now so I'm somewhat in the habit and gung-ho for writing and documenting when I'm there.
(Buying a cute new journal helps, too, especially the kind with un-ruled pages and plenty of open space for other friends to write in, as well as for your own doodles and souvenirs and impromptu lists. [Thanks to my college roommate Laura for showing me the beauty of this kind of journaling.])
Last week I kept track of the songs I woke up with in my head. I'm not sure if it's supposed to mean anything, but it's kind of fun. Does it have to do with what I was dreaming about, or my general mood, or is it an omen for the rest of the day? If you're looking for new ways to analyze yourself, try it if you dare. Here's what I came up with, in order from Monday to Friday:
(One thing to note here is that the Maroon 5 version of "If I Fell" is a substitute for the unavailable and much sweeter Beatles version.) I feel that it was a particularly good week for ear worms. Oftentimes I'll trudge off to the bathroom to get ready with a variation on a theme of my alarm clock ringing through my head. I'm impressed with the variety displayed here; old, new, optimistic, lethargic, romantic, scandalous. Lovely!
If you drew any conclusions about me based on this, let me know because I've already given up.
How funny--I too have embraced lists as a leisurely journaling stand-in. :) I still like the idea of writing more extensively, but I worry about losing precious memories, and lists work just fine as a means of hoarding them. :) Also, when I am good about writing in my journal, I often muse about this or that, but I don't actually get in the details of my days. So the listing helps. :) I think our 80 year-old selves will thank us. :)
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