Journaling Through the Seasons

by Gracie Bialecki

Whenever I sit down to write, I start with two pages in my journal. Something about the pen in my hand and the words appearing on the page grounds me in the act of writing. It makes me feel like someone who is capable of transforming thoughts to sentences, then combining those sentences into paragraphs, and eventually pages.

Most mornings, that simple act of writing is enough to get me out of bed, clothed, breakfasted, and biking to the library. Through years of repetition, I’ve internalized the rewards of my journaling process — the moments where there’s nothing besides my thoughts flowing onto the page, the moments where I know this is exactly the way I want to be spending my time. 

No one besides me reads my journal, and nothing I write in it is meant to be shaped into a story or shared with the public. Rather, it’s a place to work on myself, to explore ideas I didn’t know I had, and to unravel patterns that are holding me back. It’s a place where it’s safe to say anything, to think my darkest thoughts and my wildest dreams.

But I rarely re-read what I write and add up my revelations. And I don’t count how long it took me to fill the pages or how many days each month I’ve written. The act of journaling, of being someone who puts pen to paper, is enough of a reward. And when I hold that inside me, it’s easy to sit down and start writing.

Why do you journal? Is your practice building towards something or do you do it for the act alone? 

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday January 9th at 2 pm ET// 8 pm CET for the our second session of Journaling Through the Seasons

We'll be talking about your why and how once you find it, the words will flow.