Category: Journaling

My Creative Journey ~ 2026

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It’s a cold out, on this partially sunny and mostly cloudy, winter day…no doubt about it! The current temp is 30 degrees, up from this morning’s start at 18 ! I’d thought about going for a walk and definitely decided against that ~ too cold! Besides, I’d also be “called” to clear the snow ~ the perhaps 2 inches plus we received overnight ~. A “dusting” to clean (brighten) up the snowfall we had last week.

Now that it is 2:45 PM and counting, I’ve frittered much of today away doing a bunch of minor mind-less tasks: after my 8 AM – 9 AM Writers’ Hour Zoom: fix, eat breakfast and wash the dishes; join two more zooNs, 10 AM to Noon and Noon to 12:45 or so; read the proverbial emails: daily news; connections with family and friends; the endless ads and requests for money; etc, etc, etc!

Saturday I spent a couple hours at my “local” Barnes & Noble Bookstore ~ a little over 13 miles- in Bowie, MD. There is a store near Howard University, certainly closer , 2.8 miles but inventory is limited for the store primarily serves Howard University students and faculty!

I went to B&N to pick up James Clear’s The Atomic Habits Workbook; I’d read and have had Atomic Habits since its 2018 publication! While there, I discovered Julia Cameron’s new – 2025- book: The Daily Artist’s Way : 366 Meditations for Creative Living. I’m looking forward to spending the balance of 2025 and most of 2026 with this book. My thinking is to share this Artist’s Way Journey via this blog. Should be interesting.

I find it “hard to believe” that Christmas is just 15 days ~ two weeks ~ away! Where DID the time go? And also, there are just 20 minutes left before I switch gears and spend the next two hours, +/-, practicing an embroidery project, new to me is that stitching activity. I rather like it. I think perhaps because I’m reminded of my childhood “artist’s way” creations, made with newsprint and crayolas. Back then – late ‘40s ~ early ‘50s, one could buy a ream -500 sheets – of newsprint for a quarter! Coupled with a fresh box of crayons: I was in seventh heaven!

My plan is to touch base the end of 2025. Do have the very best last 16 days of this year: 2025! Happy Holidays!

Cheers~

simply a moment | 5.15.25…

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~flowers on my walk~

“…the rain in Spain…” and so we are in Day 2 of spring rain and as my late husband always reminded when one – I – began to complain : “…it’s for the earth…” INDEED! Everything’s a brilliant “spring green” and luscious- looking, despite the ever-present grey sky. Hopefully, no doubt, the rain will subside a bit later this afternoon -after 3 PM – when I go for my walk/trek to and through the park.

Lately my walks have been coinciding with the elementary school’s – two blocks down the street – end of day. The same school my youngest grand niece, Kayla, attended, starting at age 4. She was so excited to be going to school and practically walked on air. She is now 25 years old and on Friday, graduates from University of Maryland’s Global College receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in ???

I have begun two new ~ dare I so dub?~ “art practices”. One is “embroidery” and the other, the painting art of “pointillism”. Both fit very well with my 2025 word: JOURNAL …for, of course, I can/do “date my work” ~ an aside: most people who work/ed in the public library (learn to) “date” stuff they write, make, take notes on, etc…a habit for sure!

Today, this AM, since I was in Writers’ Hour, I decided I’d “pen my blog post draft” as I was already on my iPad. So, I did. I wasn’t prepared for the fact that Word Press has “upped” the program and so I am also learning the program’s new features, etc. Give me pen and paper! Yes I know – only too well – there are disadvantages but I’ve been very comfortable using the medium for easily 80 of my 82 years… And as attributed to Michelangelo: “I am still learning!” Indeed I am!

Writers’ Hour has ended. On Wednesday’s we’re invited to join a “mingle” ~ 4-5 people are gathered in a small group and spend about 15 minutes sharing, “getting to know” one another. Always interesting, enlightening and encouraging .

10:41 AM Breakfast consumed and last load of laundry in the dryer. Clean up my breakfast dishes and schlepp my journaling tools back upstairs to my craft room…

The rain has stopped ~ at least for the time being…

Have a great day, whenever you read this!

Cheers~

March is for …

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…Journaling, JOURNALING, using all sorts of media and tools: Pen, pencil, photos, digital text, voice recordings, NTS – notes to self; mind maps; sticky notes; calendar appointments: London Writers’ Salon, 8 AM, M -F, EST Writers’ Hour sessions and possibly 2 PM, and with myself as I watch TV – the news- or not; books I read – some fall in the “or not” category; text messages to family and friends; the occasional 2-3 times a month blog post , etc. If I think “it”, I’m prone to jot “it” down on a piece of paper and while that is perhaps an admirable practice, I find that I am often, most likely left with a very disorderly system of notes, ideas, TDLs – to do lists- and literally, rooms filled with this detritus. It is to laugh …and Yes! I do know that there are myriad ways: software programs and AI and products – notebooks, agendas, journals, sticky notes, on the market . Ask me how I know? I’ve tried all. And the major lesson I’ve learned: I’ve created not only a mess – especially for myself and anyone who comes after me and is assigned the task of sorting through these “vaults” to determine what to keep. A secret – to save time and energy: Don’t bother!

As I contemplate words, I think another candidate could be FOCUS ~ but it just doesn’t have the appeal, the siren’s call that accompanies Journal / Journaling.

Presuming I have the time, my plan that comes under the umbrella of my 2025 One Little Word – JOURNAL – is to get my “ducks (quack, quack) in a row. WH is ending; 247 words, thus far. TBC: MSSy 10 AM session…

I wrote the above two parapgraphs on 3 March, with the full intention, I think?, to publish. Dinna happen and here it is 15 March – 3/15/25 – and time for another monthly “Simply A Moment” post. Technically, I try to have those posts capture exactly what is or what’s close to being exactly the moment. So, today’s post should reflect the surrounding events on this day, at approximately 3:15 PM ~ cause there’s no way I was drafting , “penning” any words at 3:15 AM this morning! No way!

However, SAM is at the top of today’s “list of things to do,” along with Fix/eat breakfast; Write /Proof/Publish blog post; Attend Noon Zoom session and Pay property and income taxes …and whatever else undoubtedly will crop up …Ah YES! continue sorting and organizing my current sewing projects and “studio”.

Last year ~ 2024, I discovered “junk journaling”, a world-wide event that takes place January and July, each year. I decided I’d aim to junk journal every day in 2025. This will work ONLY IF and WHEN I truly focus on the doing part! Ya think?! Yep!

4:45 PM ~ Well, I missed my intent/appointment to resume this post by recounting my activity – i.e., whatever I’m doing at 3:15 PM. I was and still am on a zoom call; ostensibly we each are working on a memory keeping project ~ our free form discussion has covered a variety of subjects and are very lively and fun – so in effect, we are making new memories as we are also documenting previous moments of our lives.

And that’s the way it was today, 15 March 2025! How was your day?!

PS. I tried to get a picture of the Full Moon ~ this was the best I could do with my iPhone. Guess I need to reSEARCH how to take moon photos.

March Full Moon

simply a moment | 2.15.25 …

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I got up this morning to join an all-day zoom – scheduled to run for 12 hours-fully intending to spend a goodly amount of time printing photos: 3 x 4, 4 x6 and/or 5 x7. All totaled, I have about 50 photos …

My next decision: Do I print here at home or send to Walgreens or a photo print service, e.g., Shutterfly, Persnickety, etc… The more I think about this, the more inclined I am to print at home, especially since looking out the window , I am greeted with grey sky and wet surfaces . Not exactly an invitation to go out! And I do have the tools/resources I need: printer; photo paper; and a fresh new ink cartridge. So, one wonders : “What’s the hold up?” And the answer is simple:

INDECISION!!! (Shhh- don’t tell anyone). I remember, when I was about 6 years old, my mother, sister, my mother’s friend, her two daughters and I were in downtown Muskegon, MI! T’was a Saturday, “shopping day” at the department stores. Everyone went to town to shop – both window and “for real.” I’d debated whether I would stay with my mother or go with Catty – my mother’s friend. I chose to stay with my mother … and then: At the last moment, after Catty crossed the street, I changed my mind. I darted across the street, in front of a car driven by a man who had his wife and two children in the car. He stepped on the brakes – hard – just as I appeared in front of his car. Needless to say, the world stopped. I recall hearing shrieks ~ from my mother, Catty, and the man driving. I was wondering what all the hoopla was. Both the man and Catty were “wasted.” He couldn’t drive; his wife had to take over. My mother had to support Catty, who was also wasted.

These days, I don’t dart in front of cars but I am still prone to be a tad indecisive. I think primarily because I am intrigued by a lot of things: ideas; practices; areas to explore; etc. Perhaps “curiosity” is a better word. Worth exploring …

…and in the meantime, I’ve printed not ONE photo, That’s the bad news. The good news; I have about 5 hours left on this day to complete the job! Guess I’ll get a “move on”!

Cheers~

1 January 2025|

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Happy New Year!!!

I’m finding it hard to believe that today is the beginning of not just a new month but also, a new year! When did 2024 go? Where? As I look around my office/craft studio, everything looks the same ~ even the December calendars that are still on the wall. Guess I need to do something about that.

This has been a very quiet day; no doubt, people are still recuperating from last night’s festivities…I’d planned to watch the ball drop from NYC and promptly slept through that! C’est la vie. Imagine my surprise this AM when I logged onto my iPhone and found a text message from a long-time-ago – I’m talking easily 50 years – old boyfriend. We had not kept in touch.

Apparently though, t’was much easier than my finding a couple books I’d been reading last night! Somehow they disappeared this morning. I’d searched high and low, several times, to no avail. Really could not figure out where the books were? A real puzzle…

As I started to go downstairs, I turned around and looked at the bed… Was that a hump I eyed under the spread? Hmmm. I walked over to the bed that I’d made up earlier, ran my hand across the section of the bedspread that looked a tad suspect and , Lo and Behold, YES! There were my books, under the spread, patiently waiting for me to discover and retrieve them. I personally think t’was the Time Thieves who’d discovered the error of their ways.

Whatever, I had my books and a story for today’s blog post. Which brings me to my 2025 One Little Word : JOURNAL!

Yes, JOURNAL was also my word a while back…I don’t know exactly when the first time was …I need to research that. But, JOURNAL seems fitting for 2025 – especially since I’m kicking off the year/month with Junk Journal January 2025 and I’ve several other journaling projects underway/or being formulated.

Who knows what other surprises are in store for 2025?

Wishing you your best year ever!

Cheers~

Simply A Moment | 10.15.24…

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OH! To be rested, caught up, focused on the best direction …to be relaxed, relieved, revitalized, on spot…Today ‘s Simply*A*Moment and time to write the blog post. Technically, and it’s simply a convention I created to help me remember and focus on “the moment”, I stop and pause on the moment that equals the time of the day that equates to the month and date, e.g., This is October, the tenth month and the fifteenth day – so at 10:15 AM, technically I’m to stop whatever and focus on that specific, precise, moment . As I type this, I have absolutely no idea of what I’ll be doing at 10:15 AM today, 15th of October! Time will tell* <couldn’t resist!>

Currently, at 8:15 AM, I am sitting at my computer desk, in my little zoom box, “alone yet together” with folk from around the world. Today, 199 of us, in our little Zoom boxes, ostensibly writing. Some of us, as moi, are looking at others who are writing, maybe eating ,thinking, listening, engaging in conversation with some one in the room, scrolling Zoom to see who is there and how they show up: live or just a photo. One participant appears to be having quite an animated conversation ` perhaps with someone else or her character; several are “cat ladies” and/or dog or both? And some are clouds, lakes, sunsets, sunrise … Whatever and Whoever we are, we all showed up to focus on our craft, task for the 8 AM ESDST London Wrters’ Salon session. I also have the opportunity to join the Pacific 8 AM – technically 11 AM for me – session…and I may – should I need to -put the finishing touches on this blog post …

Periodically, I stop to check my stats: I’ve been writing for approximately 16 minutes and have 309 words, thus far. The goal is 1000 words per any writing session. I don’t know that I’ve ever hit that number tho’ I also don’t know that anytime I sit to write – be it via pen or keyboard and occasionally, a verbal note – I care to do so. I did wonder where the metric originated and thanks, to the “web”, learned it was from Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks. A book I’ve read and have not one, but two print copies and I daresay, a digital version, too. T’wouldn’t at all surprise me if t’were the case.

412 words— WH is ending and I’ll move on. A busy Zoom & Writing 1000 Words today.

*Circa 10:15 AM – Actually, it’s now 10:43 AM -I’m currently ensconced – a fancy way of saying settled in/at the dining table. Just finished breakfast: Scrambled egg with shredded cheese and green grapes – just five. Not sure why I settled on that number. Currently, it’s sunny and cool – 55 degrees AND the expected high? Just 58 degrees. Seriously? Seriously!

This morning, as has been the agenda, the street’s being torn up. The gas company is installing lines to meters in most houses on this block. Not my house ‘cause my meter’s already in place. Every day, the leaves on the trees are turning color and/or gently falling to the ground. Leaf collection’s scheduled to begin the end of the month.

512 words at 10:58 am. Not bad . Won’t make the 1000K mark this session but that’s OK with me. Besides, I have two more journaling sessions scheduled for later this afternoon. The last one is at 7PM, ESDST; last week, I completely forgot about it. I know NOT WHY! Not this week, tho’!

608 words …

TBC…

welcome October | 10.1.2024…

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I begin most days, M-F, writing /journaling during London Writers’ Salon 8AM Writer’s Hour, a platform that attracts people from all around the globe who have one common goal: writing – perhaps a book, short story, play, blog post, Julia Cameron’s morning pages, etc.

I use the platform, DayONE and each day, we’re offered a prompt – just in case we might be stuck or without a topic, a starting point. Today’s prompt: What is one thing I’m looking forward to this October? My response: Finally getting my “life on paper” under control!

I have a “few” – and I say this facetiously – projects always swarming around in my head: Write/publish blog post – happens to be Numero UNO for today. And: Get a handle on October -December writing and holiday season goals…this of course doesn’t include the plethora of writing and journaling/memory keeping projects and daily paperwork , e.g., bills, emails and texts; “bright ideas,” to-do”and “someday-maybe” lists, and the occasional blog post.

I often think : Paper! The bane of my existence! But OH! What a wonderful invention, especially when coupled with pen/pencil; paint; stamps and acrylic inks; crayons, etc. As evidenced, people have been making “marks” on surfaces for “time in memorial”. Clearly doing so is a ‘natural’ inclination. I know t’is so with me. Always, I have a pen/cil and paper, at hand…consequently, a lot of flotsam and jetsam on both paper and in my mind … occasionally a digital version.

Tho’ I don’t have samples, I’ve always written – well, ‘er scribbled – since I was able to hold a pen or a crayon , approximatley at age 2-3 years. In the early ‘90s, I began, in earnest, the practice of morning journaling, encouraged by overwhelming feelings of spinning at work. I took to paper and pen and poured my heart and soul out, ostensibly, trying to come to terms with my current status and a path forward, but more importantly, needing to acknowledge and deal with a path for “freeing up my future.” And I did…but in the interim, I took to writing, journaling in the mornings, often times, even weekends. Always with paper and pen. Mornings, especially for the words I wrote gave me strength and the courage to not only “face the day” but/and also, the future and to do/give my very best to staff, the publics the library served and most importantly , myself.

In a way, I served two or more roles – one to my place of employment,and the other, to myself – finding me. The latter, accomplished with daily AM journaling and eventually, any/all times of the day as I engaged not only with work but also, more importantly, LIFE!

At the time I began daily journaling, , I’d no idea that the journey would last this long with no signs of being over. WH is about to wind down! On this first day of October and the tenth month of 2024 – just three months, 92 days left in 2024.

493 words. To be continued…

#1000wordsof summer2024

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For the first two weeks of June, writers of every genre across the globe are participating in the global #1000wordsofsummer2024.* Totally free. Totally up to each writer what s/he aims toward and achieves, any day, any number of days.

Daily writing/journaling is not a problem for me. T’is a habit I’ve had nearly all my life – since maybe I was 2.5/3 years old, could hold a crayon and/or pencil, scribble letters and eventually words on a piece of paper. Journaling/Writing is how I start my day. Is how I’ve begun the day, daily since the mid 1990s…

My initial plan for this two weeks’ #1000wordsofsummer2024 stint was to establish a writing practice to end the day. Such a practice eludes me – I’ve been trying, off-n-on since 2019 (?) … I’ve even dubbed it Ten.10.X. The idea: identify ten things that represent the day, ranging from the weather to activity to thoughts, surprises, events, etc. So, I told myself: “Turn the calendar page to June and have at it!”

Well, I turned the page but I didn’t “have at it.” The seven o’clock hour usually signals that my day is rapidly approaching a full-on wind down. Shower. Dress for bed. Gather reading and WRITING materials and settle in for the balance of the PM. Occasionally, I’ll manage to watch TV, 8-ish to 9-ish but I usually fall asleep. And I DON’T write Ten.10.X. The thought rarely (ne’er?) crosses my mind! [Growl! Growl! Growl!] What’s a person to do?

Try a DIFFERENT approach. What a novel idea! (And the author – c’est moi- falls out laughing at her own witticism). The problem isn’t I don’t have the desire or the stuff to implement Ten.10.X, it just doesn’t cross my mind. So, I’ve concluded that my approach is all wrong. I need to focus on establishing a new habit: Interstitial Journaling So, instead of just writing a daily “to do” list, I create an evolving list- a daily “done”diary, record, tracker, ongoing summary of the day’s activities, accomplishments, inspirations, discoveries, postponements, words of wisdom, creative ventures, etc., written down throughout the day at specific intervals …

Perhaps I’m making this project more difficult than it really is. I will soon find out, providing I actually implement and experiment with the process. Clearly it’s a process I can create and control. I’m the boss of me! I turned to a page in my Full Focus Planner and this quote at the top of the page greeted me: “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt.

Or as Gretchen Rubin says: “Onward!”

Time will tell.

Cheers~

P.S. This post is 469 words … and the photo of the lovely flower was in my iPhone photo library. I took the photo several years ago and Apple, in its infinite wisdom, decided to profile it today!

*There is a FAQ : 1000wordsofsummer.substack.com/ on Jami’s substack Craft Talk.

Simply A Moment | 3.15.24

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My Christmas Cactus has a third bloom; it delights me so – and is a welcome symbol of a spectacular time of year.

Note to Self:

“I am writing this post in the DayONE journal app. Perhaps I can make this DayONE journal entry also the focus of my blog post – it’s the 15th of the month and on this date, each month I try to post to my blog*, this space that you are now reading. Also, every morning, 8 -9 AM, Mon-Fri, for the past two years and 15 or so days, I’ve been writing during Writers’ Hour, with people from all over the world, joined by Zoom and heralded by hosts and hostesses of the fantastic . Covering all the time zones in the world and offered M-F, four times daily, WH provides encouragement, companionship, camaraderie, celebration. The latter, for many people proudly share the advent of publication of their book or play… their writing!

How do I deal with uncertainty?

My aim is not to publish a book, persé; the closest format might be called a photobook tho’ my emphasis is on the words, not the photos.

Today’s DayONE prompt asks and my answer: …with uncertainty – pun intended. Life gets in the way of one’s plans. In my last entry, I shared that I was going to relocate this blog. I am still on that path though a wee bit behind. Determined it will happen; stay tuned!

Whatever. However. I have enough fodder that could/would constitute a goodly sized “book.” My aim is to create a new “publication date” so to speak. My assignment (to self): Get busy proofing the past two years accumulation of words and photos… To Get It Done! To take this habit and platform of focusing on writing nearly every morning that yields the results of my intentions and efforts.

I can do it!

WH is winding down; the music calling us back. I updated my journal entry. A word count is apparently a measure, barometer of progress and persistence. Today, I tallied 274 words. I think that’s a good start for my blog post for today and resumption of my aim to reestablish my goal to “make every day count.” I also added the hashtag #write24in24.

I love this quote’s photo background : sun rising over the mountains as a man climbs upwards on one. The word: CONFIDENCE in capital letters.

I think, wonder, if/that sometimes, perhaps many times, we are thwarted by our own lack of confidence in our abilities to create. I’m sure that relates to me and has all my life of 81 years and counting (hopefully).

To be continued. Stay tuned … and thank you for visiting and your support. Always welcomed and appreciated!

Cheers~