Why to keep a Journal: Memories Will Last A Lifetime

The summer is slowly winding down! It is crazy how fast it flew by. Slowly getting ready for the school year again means cleaning out my closet and organizing my life. My little sisters are headed off to their first year of college too. Together we have been going through our childhood keepsakes and reminiscing on the days back when we used play hide and go seek, endless games of knockout, and hours on end of jump rope, double dutch, rollerblading, and hopscotch up and down our street with our neighbors. Cleaning out our closets we came across what used to be our secret "diaries" that we would not let anyone read. We sat around and read them out loud to each other laughing and wishing to go back to the time of being kids, when boys had "cooties" and deciding who was going to be "it" for tag were our biggest concerns.

Reading all our secret "diaries" brought back so many memories that I did not even remember. So I decided to start journaling again. It was nice to have handwritten memories of my childhood, and I think it will be fun to have some memories of my college life to look back on eventually and laugh with my  friends.

Journaling helps improve your self-insight, writing habit, encourages a positive outlook and personal growth! The best idea of a journal is that it is a future gift for yourself! It also a great way to let stress out. Keeping a handwritten journal can help clear your mind. You do not even have to do an entry each day,  just once a week, or even just once in a while. Writing something down on paper can make the memory last for a lifetime. Look through your childhood keepsakes and see what you come across, whether it is a journal, notes, or letters that you never sent. It will warm your heart, maybe even laugh!

 Try it! Keep a journal, see if you like it! I am slowly falling in love with it, taking time to myself, it brings be a sense of calmness. Make it your own, add pictures, stickers,tickets, or anything that is special to you! Let your mind explore, doodle, reminisce, plan, daydream with words and ideas. Just keep it somewhere safe and I am sure one day when you read it again it will make you laugh and bring back memories like my childhood journal did for me.

--Margot