To be like Max

What I really looked forward to today was coming home and seeing if Journals Editor Jeff had posted the intro and link to my journal at the AOL People Connection Page.

I almost laughed when I saw myself there!

Then I chuckled because it made me laugh!

The week prior to posting the Guest Editor Six Picks, I had been worried about other people reading my journal, afraid for the world to take a peek at my life. Afraid they would find it boring, irrelevant, or trivial. That they would criticize it, make fun of it, or even disregard it as pointless and a waste of time.

But it hasn't been like that at all. Even more surprising was the increased number of comments I received as of yesterday when I first posted the entry. That was pretty cool to see as well.

If you are a first time visitor, welcome! I've been waiting for you with a little nervousness, but now I'm glad you are here. If you'd like to leave a link, please do.

Thank you all, those J'Landers who come regularly, even if you don't leave a comment. I do read all of your comments, but I don't always respond to them. From what I've been reading lately, you all have the same problem as I do: journaling consumes a significant chunk of time.

Last month, when I wrote the entry just after returning from the mountains, where I had fled as on a retreat seeking solitude, I had decided it was time to clear out the clutter from my drawing room and my heart, to make room for something deeper and more meaningful.

                                                      

I came back appreciating the simple life. When I say simple, I mean free of technology. At the mountain cabin, which belongs to friends of mine, I had no telephone, my cell phone didn't work, and I did not turn on the television or the radio the entire time I was there. Relative to my daily routine, that was solitude.

A few days later, a lotus flower in our little bog-like remnant pond became a sign and a reminder of new life rising up out of the mud. It was an encouraging sign a few weeks before the school year was to start.

                                         

There is no doubt that the wonderful technology designed to make life simpler for us is sapping up all of my free time. Mainly the computer.

I hinted, in my journal, that my journal habits would have to change. I still think they do. I need to modify them, so my life can be balanced once more. Ironic that this decision comes at the time I am asked to be a Guest Editor.

                                    

Even Max knows what to do when he has some free time!

                               

to all my J'land friends, and to those from other lands, for making journaling an interactive experience!

Bea

 

Tags: Max, Lotus flower, spiritual retreat, solitude