There is a lot of talk these days about self development and inner work and things like these. I feel that these are ways of paying more attention to what you want and feel and giving yourself permission to pursue your own heart’s desires. I support these spiritual pursuits, and find myself on an endless quest for better understanding of life and its more esoteric aspects.

One tool that comes highly recommended as a practice is keeping a diary, or the more current terminology- journaling. I LOVE this idea! You may like it to. The thing is I can’t bring myself to do it- except under extreme circumstances. The thing is, I don’t want anyone to read my journal- the thought and the very real possibility terrifies me. Even if I had a beautiful leather book with swanky embossed words on the cover and cool wrap around ties- I have an aversion to writing down my deepest and darkest thoughts in plain English.

On the other hand, I have found a natural alternative to writing a journal that works for me. I write poetry, sometimes. I cant be the judge of how good the poetry is, but I do know this: it allows me to get things on paper which are important to me and in a way that I will find memorable. I write it for myself and to myself, but do share it from time to time. Poetry, I find, is cryptic enough to obscure the fine details of life but rich enough to express the essence of the heart. When I read back over old prose that I have written it, I can recall the moments and feelings with a vivid detail that words find difficult to capture. I encourage everyone to give poetry a try, there are no rules.