Thursday, January 31, 2008

Why I Journal

    I have read a couple of journals that discuss various reasons for journal writing. 

    One that made sense to me is keeping a record for your family, your know...a record of your life for your kids and grandkids and great grandkids some day. 

One of the journals had a petition a lot of us signed urging AOL to let us have some sort of backup for our journals.Please go to this link. Petition  I signed as did many others.  I got to thinking... I don't write much about that type of thing.   Things about my childhood and my parents childhood.   The type of written history people used to put into diaries and written journal.  I think I would have to go private to write that and actually the thought is attractive.  Not that I had an interesting life, but it would be great if I would write in it and then one day my son and his son and his daughter.

     I would have loved to be able to read a journal written by my grandmother so I could know her better, and my mother for that matter.  How she felt about things and what she did she was proud of or that made her happy.

     I also was thinking, with cleaning out my MIL's, about the death of family albums.  In this new digital age will all the old family albums be a thing of the past?  You will have the family CD, I have a few of those.  Will there pictures hanging on the walls or a moving photo box  powered by a battery or whatever new technology  comes out?  That way the picture could change all the time.  I know they have stuff like that out already.  Does it make it impersonal that way?

    So just rambling here.  Wasting some time, but I am curious.  Anyone writing their journals for any of these reasons?

       My first reason for starting my journal was to keep myself on track with my diet.  Then I decided for me at least, the traditional diet wasn't what I needed.  I instead focused on improving my health.

     Then somewhere along the line I started writing less about my fluctuating weight issues and more just idle chatter, things that come to my mind at various times.  So maybe this will be a way for my family to get to know.  Hey..... my mom was pretty boring! LOL.  Anyway.  Come on, give me your thoughts.



   And can you spell it correctly, LOL.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a blog because it helps me relax.  Writing is really good therapy for a lot of people.  It helps release thoughts that you wouldn't normally express so easily verbally.  I write about my family quite a bit because they play a huge role in my life...  I also have other family members who read my journal--they like it because it keeps them up to date with the comings and goings..  It sometimes catches me by surprise, until I hear my mother in-law say;  "Yes, I read about that the other day on your journal."  Sometimes I get real embarrassed.  I wish she would comment once and a while so I remind myself that she is reading it!  As for photographs being something from the past-I sincerely hope not!  I am crazy about pictures--I cannot keep them in discs--I have to print them and put them in albums as soon as I get them printed--I hate seeing pictures just piled in a box..or on a disc.  My husband got me a digital picture frame for Christmas--I must start figuring that one out.  It's been sitting in my living room for over a month--just empty!  Julie  

Anonymous said...

I started my journal on a whim because I saw the word Blogs on the welcome page of AOL when it was still on the welcome page.  The rest is history.  Since then I have printed off all the ones about my childhood, my grandmother and other memories and put them in a book for my Grandchildren. I still hope AOL will come up with a way for us to download them onto CD or something.

http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/

Anonymous said...

There have been very few times that I have read the archieves in my journal, so I didn't put a vote in your question thingy. I don't have any grandchildren to read any of my journal entry's. My children know most of the family history. I was telling my daughter a few things the other day about my parents. Things I have never thought to tell her and I have never mentioned a lot of things to my son either. Some things I think are just better kept to myself. Helen

Anonymous said...

I would like to find a way to back up and preserve my journal. As far as reading my archives, I rarely do. It would be interesting to see if I've improved, though. One good thing is that with old timer's disease, it would all be new to me. I can hide my own Easter eggs.

Jimmy

Anonymous said...

I am journaling for my grandchildren to read someday....so they will know how much they were loved, all I have been through...and more.  I do go back and look at my archives to see what a certain day was, good and bad.  Vacation time is always fun to look back on...
Hope you have a beautiful evening...hugs and love,
Joyce

Anonymous said...

I am just journaling for myself. Not close to my family so not much to write about. I have many time gone back to read yourpast entrys.

Hugs Sunny

Anonymous said...

I deleted my first journal that I started in 2005 about my Dad, & I missed it & started the one I have now.  I discovered that while revealing things to others, I was also revealing things to me. ~Mary

Anonymous said...

I started journaling to deal with my emotions, fear, & constant failure with weight loss & food issues. It has been a real God-send to me on most days, but an issue of great stress on others. It has allowed me to see the best & worst in people, and the best & worst in myself...it has certainly brought me many wonderful friendships, constant support, and really, that is probably why I continue. I started it feeling all alone on this path, and yet 3 years later....I'm taking the journey with many people that understand every single step I take, forward AND back. I count you among those many wonderful friends, Julie, and I'm so glad I met you.....your faith in me has meant a lot.  So thank you for taking your steps into journaling, and allowing our paths to cross in this big wide world of cyber space. :)

Pooh Hugs,
Linda

Anonymous said...

I was encouraged into beginning my journal by my friend Sal who had a super journal then.  She put so much interest and thought int her journal then.  Much the same as today with her Sends links.
I just wanted to write about Day tto Day lLife In The Lakes. Mainly about nature and sometimes the odd poem or story or two.  Just somewhere to hang my hat for those days when I had nothing better to do.  It has grown since then into what it is today.  Bits and bats of my life and photos of where I live and of my grandchildren.
My daughter says she is finding out more about me in this way than she ever would sat in a room with me. She has seen 'me' not MUm.  That's a good thing I think because sometimes we can get lost whilst we bring up our family, always putting others first and not considering our own needs , thoughts or wants.
I am already in the process of writing my memoirs of my childhood.  
But not for my journal...
Hugs
Jeanie xxxx

Anonymous said...

I hope photo albums don't disappear. I love to open an album and just have a look at the windows of another time. I've enjoyed journaling, too. I don't do it for anyone to read later on though. It's just for me.
Maybe someday I'll print out certain entries for my son to keep. We'll see.
Pam

Anonymous said...

Strange as it may seem, when I started my journal....I thought being digital it would be even easier to erase what I put in it.....I always started writing one and would tear the pages out till there was nothing left but a cover. Somehow being public , made it a little harder to do that and then my story started to unfold one page at a time, giving me a voice to make a difference to someone besides myself. The rest is history..... One of these days I want to print out all of my archives, simply because I can see a journey that took place over the past year within me.

I signed the petition when it came out. Some things I hope never change.....Now they have e-books online, yet I prefer to have a solid copy in my hands and enjoy turning each individual page. Photo albums that hold years of history are another thing I don't think I would want to be digital.....(Hugs) Indigo

Anonymous said...

I've been seeing that around also.  I started my personal journal on a lark because I liked to write.  I was funny and upbeat...lol.  Then life took over and it became venting.  Then PSP took over and my graphics journal was started.  I've spent most of my time in the graphics journal because right now I have no time for two journals.  And, yes, I go into the archives of both of my journals quite often for various reasons.  Chris