the scribblings of moi

I have always loved keeping a journal.  I have a drawer full of them.  There are even some scribblings on scraps of paper that I managed to scrawl out when I was only eight years old. 

Over the years, it's become a habit - one that I don't think I could break even if I tried. 

It's an exercise that I find relaxing.  There's something about putting down my thoughts or even mundane daily things on paper that soothes me.

Some people prefer keeping their journals one a computer.  I've tried and I just can't do it.  Typing things out for this blog is a stretch for me.  I love ink on paper.  I always have.  I used to play with quills just because I loved the scratching sound and the dark blots the ink made.   My thoughts just seem to flow easier through a pen rather than pecking them out on a keyboard.  I even tried it on an old Royal typewriter.  Even vintage doesn't captivate me in this area.

When it comes to the books I write in and the pens I use, I am very fussy.  I like nice, leather bound books and roller ball pens.  Ever since I was little I have wanted a real fountain pen.  One of these days I'm going to splurge and buy myself one.

Needless to say, this is one habit that I would heartily recommend.  As the years go by, it's fun to take out the old journals and look at them from time to time.  If you took the time to write things out, journals can remind you of things and people that you thought were long forgotten. 

Of course, sometimes the memories are not so pleasant, but it is always a good thing to be reminded of mistakes made and lessons learned.  In my case, I have been keeping journals for so long, I can go back and literally watch myself grow up.  At least, grow up to the point that I have reached so far!  Sometimes I have to shake my head and laugh at myself.  I've even had the urge to gather up all of the books dating from the "teenage years" and burn them so that future generations will never know how silly I was!  But, I must be fair.  My grandchildren have the right to know that twentieth century children had the same problems as twenty-first century children. 

One of my favorite things is looking at how my handwriting has changed over the years.  Honestly, my progression in this area is not much to boast about.  My left-handed scribbles are what normal, right-handed people call illegible.  It slants to the left and all of the letters are formed backwards.  What can I say?  I was taught by a left-handed woman.  Unfortunately, she also writes better than I do...

And so, I come to the end of probably the most random post I will ever write.  It really has no point, except to say that I absolutely love to keep a journal and that if you haven't already, you should try keeping one yourself.  I promise, you will enjoy looking back on them one day.