Wednesday March 15, 2023 (Journal Entry)
It’s been awhile since I have written anything here. Ten days to be exact. That seems like a long time to me. I’ve been wondering the last few days why has it been that long. The best answer is that I’ve been preoccupied with other matters. Important matters, but matters too boring in nature to write about. What is interesting to me is how easily we can be diverted from the things that bring us joy and pleasure if we allow events to distract us.
Sometimes when I sit down to write (I do that daily even if it doesn’t show up here) I have a clear idea of what I am going to say. Other times, I have no idea, this is one of those other times. I’ll admit, it is strange to try and write when you have no idea what is about to come out of your head… At the moment it’s just about making connections and allowing those connection to lead me somewhere.
Where that is leading me at the moment, is an examination of why I write. Writing brings me joy and pleasure. To be perfectly honest (with myself) I’m also compelled to do it. I can’t completely explain that. It is partially a hope that occasionally I will come up with something to be proud of. It’s also a necessary therapy. Who I am is a big part of my urge to write, or to be slightly more precise, discovering who I am is a big part of my urge to write. It’s’ a journey of discovery. It also stems from a desire to leave a mark somewhere that says “I was here,” even if there is no “here” and any mark one leaves is fleeting at best. I’ll be the first to admit that writing a good novel, or writing about some sort of discovery, or most any other subject for that matter, would be more interesting than writing a boring blog, but you have to go with what you know, and I know there’s no novel lurking inside of me.
If you’re still with me (I’m pretty sure I would not be if I were the one reading this) I also think that writing is good for your brain. I think it helps prevent “creeping brain deterioration”. That is a technical term. I don’t want to be one of those senile septuagenarians that can’t put two words together unless they were fed to him by someone on TV. Staying young and having thoughts that are mine alone, thoughts driven from within rather than dictated from without, is my goal. I wouldn’t necessarily say that more people should blog and fewer people should tweet, but I guess I just said that…
It comes down to this I suppose: this is my creativity. Creativity is an important ingredient for a satisfying life. It’s important to find some act that fulfills that need. Creativity can be integral to a rewarding life when it’s recognized and embraced. Besides all that, it’s just damn fun.