Last weekend, I found myself chatting with a fascinating older woman at a birthday party for a friend. As a young woman, she traveled the world as a professional ballet dancer and then went on to lead an exciting media career at a time when there weren’t many women working in the field.
She revealed to me that throughout her entire life, she has kept journals. From her amusing observations about life as a six-year-old to recollections of parties and events she attended in her 20s, she now cherishes the fact that she can share her memories with future generations of her family. She also admitted that as she gets older, it becomes more difficult to remember specific places she visited and people she spent time with.
This made me realize that there are already a lot of memories that are blurred together in my mind, and unfortunately I’ve never been a devoted journal writer. I loved writing in a journal as a kid but as I grew older (and started using computers), the habit of scribbling my thoughts on paper faded away. Ironically, one of my most prized possessions is my grandmother’s travel journal from a trip to Europe in the late 1950s.
Maybe it’s time for me to get back on the journaling bandwagon – after all, it’s never a bad idea to step away from the computer and put your thoughts and ideas down on paper! Journaling can be a really great exercise for kids, too. Who knows? You might get them into a lifelong habit that will allow them to share their experiences with the next generation as well! Here are a few articles to help them get started with a journal or other creative writing:
3 Cool, Clever, and Authentic Ways to Get Kids to Write
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