Saturday, April 07, 2007

To Journal or not to Journal.....

I have written some form of journal for many years....off and on. I have bits and pieces of journals in various and sundry little books, mostly stashed in my bedside table...or in my workshop...or in the bag that I carry everything that doesn't fit into the suitcase.

But now...I have a journal in my laptop computer...password protected (of course!!)

I have journaled in my computer before in Word and then password protected it and then forgotten the password when I discovered it months later....sigh!

However...now...I have a program!!

About a year ago, I discovered that when I installed Office 2003 into my laptop, it had also installed a program called Microsoft Office OneNote. (One of those things that you discover after using the program for about a year!!)I believe that the original and most logical purpose of this program is for business use....but it can be quite well adapted for personal use. There is a section.....yes there is .....called.....JOURNAL!!It's lovely....it dates itself with date AND time no less....it saves itself automatically when I close the program....and you can password protect it easily....it's great!

So I have used this for about a year...and I have used no other. I don't write into it everyday....just when I feel the need.

I have found that journaling can help me to dissect problems and worries into smaller groups so I can examine them more fully and try to decide what it is about the problem that IS a problem. It helps to unload the worries into written form and seeing them that way makes them more manageable....at least for me. It's like I "leave my worries in the laptop"...at least for a time.

It's not all about worries either....I like to write about things that make me happy and joyful so they remain with me..... people I love and activities that I love to do and events that put me in a positive frame of mind.

As I said, I have always journaled intermittently in one form or another, but as I grow older it seems to have become more important to have a record of the process and it's ups and downs....emotionally, mentally and physically.

Interesting.......

Slainte!

Monday, April 02, 2007

Book, books, and more books.

So in this healing time, among other things we have turned our attention back to books.

When we were in Massachusetts, we went to the Borders store near Stella's place and came out of it somewhat poorer than when we went in......and that was only the first trip.

Since we have been home we have visited Chapters at least once and then there was the symphony book sale this last week...and DH visited a second hand bookstore...on the way home from the library no less!! Luckily we only went to the book sale on the last day (when things were half price) but we still came home with 2 bags full of books.

The excitement of going to a bookstore...new or used....for me, is right up there with a good concert!!

We have a cupboard in the guest bedroom full of books we have yet to read....and there are various bags of books lying around the house.....

I ask you....is it no wonder that I never get out of the house!!!!

But....I do love books....and never more so than now, when we need the time to relax and recoup our energy. Sometimes I feel the urge to do something else....and I do it.....but then after..I end up back in my corner of the sofa under the reading lamp with my latest book and a "tisane" and the dog curled up at the end of the couch. DH has taken to sitting sideways with his feet over the the arms of the big chair to read and the dog lies on the back of the chair. When we are both reading in the same room, poochie switches between us at regular intervals....

Among other things...retirement has brought me back to reading...and for that I'm grateful. It's a therapy like no other.

Slainte!