When my daughter was very young, I enrolled in a creative writing course. I aspired to become a freelance writer. Writing during her nap times and night was exhausting. Sometimes, I would work at night to finish a project and had to get early for the next day. There were so many things to be done for the family, for my baby, for the house that I had no time for myself.
Then one day I read a quote that jolted me out of the torpor.
“Take the time to come home to yourself every day.” ~ Robin Casarjean
I decided to spend some time doing something I enjoyed every-day without guilt. However, I found out it wasn’t easy.Guilt is another tag for motherhood. Why DO we always feel guilty in spite of doing the best? I think it comes from a collective consciousness that we have inherited from our ancestral mothers.
I started writing Morning Pages as suggested by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way.She says-
The bedrock tool of a creative recovery is a daily practice called Morning Pages.
Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning…….They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.
I wrote whenever possible (morning or night) for five days a week. This practice became an anchor. I looked forward to that time with my journal.
However, I wrote non-stop three pages mostly every-day. It helped to calm to my anxious mind. There were moments of clarity and profound wisdom. Many times grace flowed divine and pure.It gave me time and space to come with terms with the anxiety and stress of everyday life. It taught me that acceptance of any moment depends on my expectations.
Every day the blank page in my journal poses no expectations and yet offers infinite possibilities.
If you would like to explore writing a journal, here are few resources to help.
Journal Writing Tools
Journal Writing Resources
Here is gift for you. Click on the image to download these lovely month tags.
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