Just a week or so ago, I asked myself “why am I pissing my time away?” Awake before dawn, coffee, glass of water and my iPhone at the ready, then in a flash the morning is half gone. Instagram, Facebook, Substack and emails, all taking away time. Some is great. I love how Substack is developing into beautiful storytelling. Some is just mindless and fake. I mean honestly, how can using the sharp end of a bottle opener to open cans of tomato sauce be a hack?! It’s just how it’s done so you don’t spill. 🤦🏻♀️
I love using my different notebooks and planners. I am not good at keeping a daily habit, but when I have something to write, I do. And I’m glad I have nice supplies to use.
I value the connections I’ve made online and it’s hard to balance present life with virtual sometimes. My world is pretty quiet now that I’m retired and having other people from around the globe to interact with is so exciting and unique. Being analog in a digital world is not retro or old fashioned, it’s being human. I love this post and the chance to respond. 💕💕💕
Sue, I can relate to that feeling of pissing the time away. And it still happens now and then, especially when I am sick, etc. It was pure discipline in the beginning for me to leave my phone in another room. Now it is starting to feel more like devotion to my morning practices. Like you, my online life has brought rich friendships of truly kindred spirits that one does not always find in the place you live. Some of those friendships have evolved into more than just occasional letter writing, and wow is that wonderful. I agree... it's not retro or old fashioned, it's HUMAN! Thanks so much for your thoughts, and for being here.
Lovely. The notebooks and planners came back into my life last year. What helps me be more consistent is letting go of perfection. Allowing myself to be messy no matter which planner notebook I am in. I have a larger daily planner where I journal, write and draw, each day, a weekly planner for health information, a composition dump notebook, and an daily art journal. I off and on have morning pages journals. I have a few more journals where I document my artistic thoughts ideas and journey as well.
I have been keeping a digital folder for stories about each of my children and grandchild as they occur to me. Knowing as a mom, I am a keeper of their story, I want them to have those stories about their early lives that are hard for them to remember. But love your idea of a small diary to keep thoughts and stories for them analog to let them know I think of them daily. Digital has a place for sure, but I miss my calm brain that used to be settled and calm and retain everything. I miss lulls in my days, to ponder things and even being bored.
We don't seem to value that anymore, we fill our whole day with our phones or laptops. Most of my friendships are online now as everyone is too busy and I have met people I would have never known otherwise. However, I do miss a time where there was not so much online to ensnare our minds and people got together more because there wasn't this instant, constant, access to everything, but as each of us steps away little by little, that opens up more and more space for us to live our lives not behind screens. I want my brain to not always stroll back to should I photo this moment to share? I just want to enjoy my moments.
Gosh Ari... I feel all of what you have written here. I agree about the "allowing to be messy" and yet I also love to make things beautiful sometimes, too! Anything goes...no expectations! Just that I show up. And I missed my calm brain, too. It's slowly coming back. Little things I can do each day to nurture it. It's so funny how it just hit me one day, how my mental processes had changed. It's like a pot of water on a very low temperature, gradually changing from a simmer to a boil as condensation happens. I love and feel everything you shared here. Thank you so much. It feels great to be in such good company.
I have always noticed your notebooks. I love this about you. I remember once, a while ago now, I saw you in a video sitting down on the floor with stacks of notebooks and books around you and instantly felt you a kindred soul. Thanks for being here, Elena.
sending a big hug. remind me to tell you about the reMarkable (electronic notebook) - against all my assumptions, I might be falling in love, especially for my chaplaincy training where I have a few docs going at once...
what's nice is the capacity to look at a few "notebooks" at once, in one handheld device... i swore i'd never... but it's kind of epic to toggle without carrying four notebooks.
When I travel I take a Kindle. I see that as much the same. I think I would still take my main notebook though. Just like I still take one slender volume of poetry :)
Been meaning to start keeping a diary of sorts for my 7YO godson to read one day, reading about the notebooks for your grandchildren was a really touching reminder of how important it is to leave a trace of our love for others to eventually discover. Thanks Kateri xx
I hope you do! I wish I had something like that from my own grandparents. So much is lost when they leave us. I feel it often and wish so much I had asked so many more questions.
Just a week or so ago, I asked myself “why am I pissing my time away?” Awake before dawn, coffee, glass of water and my iPhone at the ready, then in a flash the morning is half gone. Instagram, Facebook, Substack and emails, all taking away time. Some is great. I love how Substack is developing into beautiful storytelling. Some is just mindless and fake. I mean honestly, how can using the sharp end of a bottle opener to open cans of tomato sauce be a hack?! It’s just how it’s done so you don’t spill. 🤦🏻♀️
I love using my different notebooks and planners. I am not good at keeping a daily habit, but when I have something to write, I do. And I’m glad I have nice supplies to use.
I value the connections I’ve made online and it’s hard to balance present life with virtual sometimes. My world is pretty quiet now that I’m retired and having other people from around the globe to interact with is so exciting and unique. Being analog in a digital world is not retro or old fashioned, it’s being human. I love this post and the chance to respond. 💕💕💕
Sue, I can relate to that feeling of pissing the time away. And it still happens now and then, especially when I am sick, etc. It was pure discipline in the beginning for me to leave my phone in another room. Now it is starting to feel more like devotion to my morning practices. Like you, my online life has brought rich friendships of truly kindred spirits that one does not always find in the place you live. Some of those friendships have evolved into more than just occasional letter writing, and wow is that wonderful. I agree... it's not retro or old fashioned, it's HUMAN! Thanks so much for your thoughts, and for being here.
Lovely. The notebooks and planners came back into my life last year. What helps me be more consistent is letting go of perfection. Allowing myself to be messy no matter which planner notebook I am in. I have a larger daily planner where I journal, write and draw, each day, a weekly planner for health information, a composition dump notebook, and an daily art journal. I off and on have morning pages journals. I have a few more journals where I document my artistic thoughts ideas and journey as well.
I have been keeping a digital folder for stories about each of my children and grandchild as they occur to me. Knowing as a mom, I am a keeper of their story, I want them to have those stories about their early lives that are hard for them to remember. But love your idea of a small diary to keep thoughts and stories for them analog to let them know I think of them daily. Digital has a place for sure, but I miss my calm brain that used to be settled and calm and retain everything. I miss lulls in my days, to ponder things and even being bored.
We don't seem to value that anymore, we fill our whole day with our phones or laptops. Most of my friendships are online now as everyone is too busy and I have met people I would have never known otherwise. However, I do miss a time where there was not so much online to ensnare our minds and people got together more because there wasn't this instant, constant, access to everything, but as each of us steps away little by little, that opens up more and more space for us to live our lives not behind screens. I want my brain to not always stroll back to should I photo this moment to share? I just want to enjoy my moments.
Gosh Ari... I feel all of what you have written here. I agree about the "allowing to be messy" and yet I also love to make things beautiful sometimes, too! Anything goes...no expectations! Just that I show up. And I missed my calm brain, too. It's slowly coming back. Little things I can do each day to nurture it. It's so funny how it just hit me one day, how my mental processes had changed. It's like a pot of water on a very low temperature, gradually changing from a simmer to a boil as condensation happens. I love and feel everything you shared here. Thank you so much. It feels great to be in such good company.
love this; notebooks are my first love, my refuge, my home…
I have always noticed your notebooks. I love this about you. I remember once, a while ago now, I saw you in a video sitting down on the floor with stacks of notebooks and books around you and instantly felt you a kindred soul. Thanks for being here, Elena.
sending a big hug. remind me to tell you about the reMarkable (electronic notebook) - against all my assumptions, I might be falling in love, especially for my chaplaincy training where I have a few docs going at once...
Oh boy. I was looking at that the other day. I really want to hear your thoughts about it. Big hug back.
what's nice is the capacity to look at a few "notebooks" at once, in one handheld device... i swore i'd never... but it's kind of epic to toggle without carrying four notebooks.
When I travel I take a Kindle. I see that as much the same. I think I would still take my main notebook though. Just like I still take one slender volume of poetry :)
Been meaning to start keeping a diary of sorts for my 7YO godson to read one day, reading about the notebooks for your grandchildren was a really touching reminder of how important it is to leave a trace of our love for others to eventually discover. Thanks Kateri xx
I hope you do! I wish I had something like that from my own grandparents. So much is lost when they leave us. I feel it often and wish so much I had asked so many more questions.
Amen to you, Kateri.
And amen to what Elena said.🌱
I know you are a notebook keeper, too 🩵 Thank you, Katharine.