by Molly Jo Realy (@MollyJoRealy)

The Essence of Journaling
Preflight: A History of Pages

Thoughts are precious.

The practice of journaling offers a quiet place for ideas to be held, tended to, and given room to grow.

Notebooks. Binders. Phone apps. Any place you gather notes can be a journal.
Prose. Lists. Scribbles. Art. All can be what you journal.

Journaling doesn’t always look like paragraphs on a page. It can be a memory pressed in a flower. A grocery list promising a community gathering, or peaceful dinner for one. Random words plucked from intimate thoughts. Inspiration formed from quotes and sketches. A checked off to-do list. A tactile collection of textures and colors.

Journaling is both promise and perseverance.

As a child, one of my greatest joys was finding a new pocket journal in my Christmas stocking. The padded cover with its lock and key held pages of secrets yet to be written, drawings yet to be seen, and stories yet to be told. 365 lined pages waited for me to explore my world and create new ones. The tumultuous emotions of a teenaged girl spilled with angry ink. As a young adult, I strove to hold the simple nuances of still growing up. Motherhood found me embracing quiet rhythms and extraordinary moments.

Now I capture sparkles of everyday life. A dinner with friends. Kind words exchanged at the coffee shop. Secrets meant for no one. Story ideas to (someday) share with everyone.

Long before we named it journaling,
we found ways to catch the glimmers of our lives. 

The Bible’s Book of Psalms shows us men who struggled with humanity while being called to live for God. Raw and true emotions flow through failure, anger, and unanswered prayers balanced with joy, redemption, and forgiveness.

Anne Frank (A Diary of a Young Girl) shares her years as a young teen hiding from Nazis in an Amsterdam attic. She named her diary “Kitty,” and wrote nearly every day. After Anne’s capture and subsequent death, these writings became some of the most important documents of World War II.

Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks burst with drawings and descriptions of art, engineering, and science. His exploration of life flowed through diagrams and words, thoughts and ideas.

There is something sacred in the act of writing things down. We are not so different from those who came before us. Even in the midst of ordinary moments, small lights sparkle. The page waits, as it always has. As it always will.

History. Moments. Dreams. If it holds space in your life and mind, it’s worth holding space on the page. For you, and for those to come.

Journaling is not about perfection. It’s about catching presence.

What shape does journaling take in your life? 

I would love to share with you about God, writing, journaling, tea, and New Orleans. Drop me a comment or send me a message.

Come alive, stay wild, and always, savor the journey.
~M. 

A Southern hippiechick at heart, Molly Jo Realy is author of the romantic location mystery novel, NOLA: Undeaux, and creator of the Book Builder Workbook. Also an editor and coach, she encourages people to embrace their unique talents to share their stories as only they can. Addicted to God, cats, tea, planners, and pens, in no particular order. Follow her on X (Twitter), Instagram and join her Facebook Community Mojo Swarm for more fun!

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