“You just have to live and life will give you pictures.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson
I do not always know what will be found between the lines of the pages on my journal. But for over 20 years I’ve taken my pen in hand and opened myself to those blank pages. Words then come, as a gift. And, I think life will also give us words as well as pictures.
10 Comments
Earl
It’s wonderful you’ve done this for that long, Monte. Do you often go back and reread past entries?
Monte Stevens
Yes, I do, Earl. We can forget sometimes where we were at or what was going through our minds over time. It is also good to sometimes see how we have changed in our thinking. It offers a way to learn about ourselves.
Mark
Wow, I admire that commitment Monte.
Monte Stevens
Thank you, Mark. I do not journal every day but when I need to or know I need to. It can be therapy.
paul
That’s an amazing journey, my friend and a serious amount of commitment. Though I know that you didn’t do it to impress me, I am impressed. 🙂 Keep writing! Do you have a special pen that you’ve had all of those years?
Monte Stevens
I’ve never thought of it as commitment but that’s what it is. And, yes I journal for myself, misspelled words and tons of grammatical errors. My posts demonstrate that. 🙂
Cedric Canard
That is an admirable achievement Monte. Hmm… I’m not sure I would like to remind myself so precisely what I was like 20 years ago 🙂
Monte Stevens
How quickly I forget so reading back over my ramblings help to refresh the memory cells. I’m one of those who needs a couple of pre-test to get things to stick in my mind.
Ted Byrne
When I journal, I write to me who will read it then. “Then” is a magical word. It can be either past or future. When we read our journal we read the me who was “then” and opposed to the me who will read it “then”. Each of them are non existent, right? Sooo damned confusing. But somehow it seems as if we write for solace. Which brings me to your image… That is exactly what it depicts in it’s neat, ordered still life. You are picturing thoughts, emotionally. Hmmmm… Which is also damned confusing. So… before my head starts hurting…
This is a wonderful image you created… then. And which resulted in this response that was written, from your perspective… back then by me… 🙂
Monte Stevens
Wow, what insight, Ted! I think I know what you’re saying. If nothing else, you at least have me confused. Reading over my past ramblings lets me know where I was in my thinking and where it is now. Hopefully there is a major change and for the better. I have also come across readings from 10 years ago where I needed to listen to the words on my pages. After a difficult relationship of 5 years I went back to read my journal during the time her and I met. I found where I had written that we needed to be friends and nothing more. I didn’t listen to my gut. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.