Postcards to Myself

... my thoughts, both philosophical and quotidian, my hopes and despairs, the dramas and the preludes to dramas in the great play of life, with words that are as clear as a cat's cry on a midnight wind.

Screibt und fanscreibt-- write and record.

I shut my eyes to see, I close my ears to hear.

Three rules for keeping a journal-- a conversation and sometimes an argument with myself-- a mental playpen-- a book of days.

1. Never cross out.
2. Never tear out a page.
3. Date every page.

And, finally, one more important rule, for which you ancestors will thank you after they have finished giggling.

4. Always write down the good stuff!

My mother kept a diary for seventy years. I've been journaling now for twenty years. My scribblings may not be gems of the most sacred truth. But they are intoxicating to me. They also remind me of the transcience of most of my worries.

A journal gives me the last word on all things, a place to relate to myself without blushing, a repository of my dreams, delusions, and furies.

I also sketch a lot in my journal-- places, animals, and people-- usually while I'm waiting for the kids or sometimes when sermons start to drag. It helps me to really observe rather than merely record, as I would with a camera. That's why drawings are almost always more interesting than photographs. Later, I sometimes color them with colored pencils.

Tomorrow is another day.