The Lifeline

Dear reader, I hope you like what I wrote about journal writing today at the library, which I initially wrote in college for English 3.

The Lifeline

I have kept a journal for posterity, to bring order from the essentially chaotic things inherent in life, and to make myself do some truly productive things in the day.  For the past two years, I was able to create journal entries by writing down each day my different activities and creative thoughts, which I can nostalgically remember when I am older.  Although I do not much look back on my entries now since they contain recent experiences, I know in the coming years I can use my journal for reference to find what I was doing on any given day.

Before I write in my journal, the events of the day are abstract in my mind and ideas seem fleeting, but when writing in the journal the day comes together and takes a form with me writing down events, personal news, and discovered thoughts; so, after writing in my journal, I feel the day is more valuable.  When I write daily, I become more spontaneous in the all the decisions that I make.  Therefore, my tendency is to make the most of my time during the day so that I have something decent to write in my journal.   My discipline consisting of writing thoughtfully and uniquely in a journal for an hour each day, while enjoyable in itself, translates to also having fun times in other areas of life such as friendship, reading, writing, and exercising.

Although I do not often think about it, my prime motivation behind writing a journal is to produce a work that can be reflected upon by myself in trying to vicariously relive my tumultuous youth.  Each day of writing in a journal is like taking a snapshot of the day that you can look back upon in the future.  Since people go through different stages in life consisting of suffering, enjoyment, solitude, friendships, and learning, I like to document these times and attempt to have them congeal into a flowing and complete final work.  Critically reading my past experiences, I can see how many foolish decisions were made and can see how I gradually begin to develop more mature actions.  When I ever want to know either exactly what period some event happened, what book I was reading, or what sport I was doing, I can look it up in the journal.  By creating a personal history in journal writing, one will find both more meaning in life and a humble temperament.

Although the day lacks substance before I write a journal entry, when writing the entry the day takes on meaning.  When I sometimes neglect to write in the journal, I find myself feeling that the day is wasted, but every day that I do write, I feel that my day is like Hawaii.  When mentioning and reflecting on simple things in the journal like the weather, conversations, and situations experienced, I feel these all make the day seem new and unique from other days.  Instead of feeling nervous about forgetting something during the day, I can remember and then do chores by writing things that have been accomplished and stuff to do.  I am happy that the spontaneous creative thoughts and the good inspiring thoughts which I have remembered in the day will be recorded.  Also, by realizing that my thoughts make me become a creative and contemplative individual, I feel quite a deep fulfillment from discovering these thoughts.

Through being a thinker while daily writing in the journal, one always will continue to think unique ideas, without effort and surprisingly, throughout the day.  Some thoughts that at times come to me without effort, when I am away from my journal, compel me to pursue some worthwhile activities that contribute to improving my life.  Getting into the habit of critically writing down events in the day gives me the impetus for doing more with my day.  I loathe writing in my journal that I woke up late, read nothing, and only exercised for twenty minutes.

While writing a journal is enjoyable in itself, I use my journal to officially record daily all my fun experiences.  Since the journal is a reflective record of what happened in the day, I of course want to be thoughtful, spontaneous, and logical in what I choose to do with my day.  I, through experience with seeing how superficial experiences contributed nothing to my life, outgrew the facades of egotistical decisions and events that I initially thought would probably soup up a journal, and I eventually came into living life with a simple yet determined rhythm that catered to my own wellbeing.  Since I enjoyed writing in a journal about daily accomplishments, I think more fondly on these things that I did, however hard they were to do, and this also helps me to keep a positive and appreciative outlook on these things which I am grateful at having the chance and ability to do.  Through doing really productive things with my time, life not only seems easy, but I also never feel pressured about being busy.  Keeping a journal is a way to make life more fun, more fluid, and more productive.  Recording happenings daily is important for reflecting from the future, and it is also an activity for making my present more enjoyable.

Although writing in a journal daily can give one an illusion of being able to control life, it should rather be seen as a fun experience.  Writing spontaneously and without pressuring myself to write logically allows me to enjoy journal writing and to carry over my zest for ideas into talking with my friends and family.  About a year ago when I began writing for myself rather than writing for a peer or teacher, I improved my own ability to think clearly, thoughtfully, and creatively.  After writing in the journal for about a year, and as I got into the habit of writing, the entries become easier to write.  I write in my journal instead of watching TV, and when I feel refreshed after writing, I will do something productive.  From the journal there are a collection of personal experiences and ideas that I can base a good piece of nonfiction or fiction on.