In many ways, I feel the pandemic put me into a stumble I have yet to recover from. Quarantine was a challenge in itself, but the return to life after has been a continuing challenge for me. I could not get my groove going again. My priorities changed, my values changed, my goals changed.
Has my life changed? Not much really. But my perspective has changed. I had planned big changes that didn’t happen. I had my sights on something different. My life may look or appear the same, but I am different. I have new eyes, new hopes, new goals.
This, of course, has kept me off balance. In some ways, I have no intention of returning to “normal.” In other ways, I find the illusion of my former normal comforting. It’s like putting on your favorite jeans to discover they don’t fit anymore, or your favorite shoes finally falling apart. You know you’ll never find another pair just the same.
In order to clarify my new normal, I began journaling again. Bullet journals, art journals, freewrite journals, quotation books — I’ve done them all. I clearly feel I need to maintain a priority place for my creativity in my life, but I also feel all a jumble between the old normal, the current normal, and the new normal I dream of.
I’m currently using a journal to make lists. Lists of projects I started but didn’t finish, lists of projects that need started, grocery lists, etc. Lists help me get a grasp on what I have currently on my plate. They help me stay focused on priorities, and help me better manage my time.
I also use a journal to “mind dump.” I put my pen to paper and freewrite, exploring thoughts and feelings and discovering whatever comes out. Worries, regrets, emotions, and more. I’m often surprised what my mind takes to issue when allowed to free range in such a way.
I gain so much benefit from my journals, I am often amazed how effective, comforting, and empowering the process can be. Such a simple practice, expressing thoughts, making lists, but I find I am more relaxed, more focused, more appreciative of the present, more confident in the future.
A journal is a personal space for self-expression and exploration. It is a tool for planning, reflecting, personal growth, greater self-awareness, emotional management, and enlightenment.
For this reason, I created a series of articles on the benefits and methods of journaling, and the different ways to use your journal to improve your life. Journals do not require writing. They can include drawings or doodles or pages of color. They can be more of a scrapbook, or a collection of lists. Journals can be used for organization, dreams, collages, self-discovery. Journals are a way to be a friend to ourselves, a way to record that we exist.
The Journal series has launched, with the first of several installments currently listed on the Two-Lane Renaissance website, under the “Personal” tab. “The Magic of the Personal Journal” outlines the many benefits of journaling, a simple magic to help you manage your life and your personal growth.
I am still working on pieces for the series, but throughout July, other installments will be posted online including:
Visual Journaling: No Writing Required
Self Awareness & Understanding: Journaling Your Life Story
Solve Life’s Challenges with Your Journal: Keep Your Life Moving Forward
Journaling for Personal Growth: Steer Your Future
A Journaling Affirmation
and more…
I do hope you will join me as I work out my renaissance in my journals. These online articles are available free online, but will not be sent to your email. Make sure to check the website regularly for new installments in the series.
(Paying subscribers also have access to two companion eBooks, “The 7-Day Journaling Workbook” and “The Self-Concept Makeover.” You can upgrade your subscription for access any time. Subscriptions are available monthly and annually.
The journaling series isn’t the only series we have running at Two-Lane Renaissance. Every Sunday, we have a message of faith posted by Robin Holstein. Robin is a creative, conservative business woman ordained through ULC, and AMM.
Once my life settles a bit, I will also begin uploading articles from the archives of Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine. All these online features will be openly accessible online.
If I was a marketing guru, I’d tell you the value of all this free content. But instead, I’ll tell you I hope you will choose to benefit from Two-Lane Renaissance, in your own way.
We also have a collection of podcasts, online mini-courses, and additional eBooks in different stages of production. These special features will only be available to paying subscribers. You can subscribe for one month to gain temporary access to our multi-media features, or for a year to help us keep the Renaissance going.
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