Keep Those Meaningful Moments Coming

I set out on an experiment to slow down and savor autumn this year. The challenge was to stop each day and literally take a breath (or five) on the front porch to appreciate the day for what it was – good or bad, things accomplished or lessons learned.
Truthfully, I didn’t actually stop and sit on the porch every day. I wish I had. Some days just got away from me. To me it’s a victory that I even stopped to consider daily porch time. Taking a few breaths and finding meaning in the day isn’t quite a habit yet, but it’s a good routine and I’ll keep it going.

I didn’t hit my goal of 31 consecutive days but the experiment was a success. I’m walking away with new insights and perspectives that I got because I gave myself time on the porch. That seems like a pretty good payoff for what was not a ton of exertion on my part.

Only, now what?

This is actually kind of a challenge to figure out because most of the time I miss the season and my only recourse is to look back and glimpse what I could have participated in. This time I had an amazing Ah Ha moment – Autumn is still happening! (At least it is here, apologies to those that have already met a blast of winter.)

I get to continue enjoying the Fall, and since it continues, it makes sense that the effort to participate more fully in life should continue too. The porch taught me what really helps is being aware of meaningful moments. One way that I have always done that is journaling.

These days journaling is particularly appealing. Not only to bring me new points of clarity, but also to provide a bit of sanctuary. The world seems uncommonly chaotic right now and, in my journal, I find a safe space where I am not peppered with things that make my blood pressure and frustration level rise. It’s a good time to fully examine and consider things using my own perspective and journaling enables that.

So that is the new adventure, I am going to journal! Guided by Crys Wood, from Paper Crane Publishing, and using inspiration from National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) I’m going to keep collecting meaningful moments during Crys’ Maple Journal Writing Month (MaJoWriMo).

The basic premise of MaJoWriMo is simple, we support and encourage each other to write at least one word each day in a journal. Because Maple is private that word is yours and yours alone. As a group of journaling adventurers we don’t have to share that word or the process, inspiration or sentiment around it. We don’t need to reveal what happens before or after. We only need to cheer each other on to keep our energy going and add that one word each day.

Odds are good that once you land on the word, you may actually journal a bit more (that happened to me today). If that happens, its wonderful. If it doesn’t, that is OK too. The point is that you got in there and journaled, hopefully giving yourself just a moment of escape and sanity each day.

I mentioned before that using Maple has changed the way I look at journaling, and this month I’m going to build on that. Maybe you will too, why not join us? Its just one word. Any word you want.

Go ahead, Maple your word.

#MaJoWriMo #MeaningfulMoments #MeetMaple

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