If Walls Could Talk

[dancerjodi]

Over the weekend I caught some of http://www.hgtv.com/if-walls-could-talk-/show/index.html on TV. I love this show because it pulls together some of the things I love most: old houses and architecture, mystery, history and interesting family stories. In one such episode the homeowner found a series of journals in their library that were completed - one book for each year - starting in the late 1900s up until they bought the house. What an amazing find, and what a great way to learn about what life had been like in their house in years gone by!

I think of the little bit of history of my own house that I've learned in different places and how excited I was to make these findings. Imagine finding a detailed log of what took place within your own four walls?! The normal, boring everyday things that we fill the majority of our days with would be fascinating to people 50 years ago, or 50 years from now. If anything, it would be useful to account for where you are spending your time, because it is difficult to see where we are when we are in the middle of it.

This journal has been a nice tool for me to use when thinking back on events that occurred or how far I have come in some areas. Lately I've been making quick 'good things' lists or making restricted posts about the big stuff, but I wonder if leaving out the minutia does a disservice to how we spend a good chunk of our life? Along these lines, I'd like to use this more as a true journal (again). I hope that you, my readers, can find some kind of value in this experiment as well.

Comments

[dionysia.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love that show. (Duh, right? ;) )

[dee-cee.livejournal.com]

That's why I've been trying to post more often again. I've used the archive/calendar feature here many a time to recall what happened when.

I've also tried to keep a journal for MR, more than a "baby book," to journal things and milestones. I have not been as good with this one. Maybe a New Year's resolution!

[lachesis.livejournal.com]

I'm with dee_cee, I've used the memories feature to archive significant items (and have subsequently deleted some of them, deemed less so) - but that's why i'm trying to write here again... life IS minutae, and we've got to remember to look for the small things as much as recalling the big ones.

[nepenthedreams]

Been feeling the same way - like I don't record day to day life - typically it's big decisions, big feelings. I used to make a habit to journal daily. And I was thinking of doing it again.
The thing is - the location and time of day when you journal makes a difference in what you write. I come up with my best thinking in the car, but as soon as I enter the office, I am only thinking of my next meeting. When I get home, it's all Kai and by the end of the day, I'm all out of creative juices. I was thinking about that dragon speech recognition software and whether I could install it on a phone or something - to "write" while I'm in the car where I do most of my unstructured thinking.

[dancer.livejournal.com]

I know that my iphone has a voice recorder app, I wonder if whatever phone you have may have something like that so you could ramble at it in the car? :)