I Never Thought I Would Do It.
That applies both to blogging and to taking a 13-month trip around the world. Yet here I am, sitting in Windhoek, Namibia, thinking about how to approach something as daunting-yet-exciting as documenting this journey. I'm not a writer. I've forgotten the rules of punctuation and I'm terrified of boring you. Still, I feel compelled to do this for my family, my friends and myself.
I remember back in high school, right around my 15th birthday, my cousin Deb gave me this less-than-aesthetically-pleasing red and black journal. On the very first page she drew me a watering can and wrote me a message. "Write down your hopes, your dreams, something that makes you want to tear down walls, something that makes you want to jump for joy, something you never thought you'd try but you DID, something you WANT to try but don't think you ever will..."
Each time I wrote in it, I included one of each. I loved that fugly journal with all my might, and wrote in it for years. It lead me through some amazing growth. Going back and re-reading what I wrote months and even years later was even more eye-opening for me. So I would like to end this entry and begin this blog by sharing the one piece that stands out most in my memory:
November, 1997 - Something you want to try but don't think you ever will... I want to spend a year traveling all around the world by myself.
Thank you, Deb, for that incredible present, and for telling me, "Do iiiiiit!" when I was daydreaming out loud.
That applies both to blogging and to taking a 13-month trip around the world. Yet here I am, sitting in Windhoek, Namibia, thinking about how to approach something as daunting-yet-exciting as documenting this journey. I'm not a writer. I've forgotten the rules of punctuation and I'm terrified of boring you. Still, I feel compelled to do this for my family, my friends and myself.
I remember back in high school, right around my 15th birthday, my cousin Deb gave me this less-than-aesthetically-pleasing red and black journal. On the very first page she drew me a watering can and wrote me a message. "Write down your hopes, your dreams, something that makes you want to tear down walls, something that makes you want to jump for joy, something you never thought you'd try but you DID, something you WANT to try but don't think you ever will..."
Each time I wrote in it, I included one of each. I loved that fugly journal with all my might, and wrote in it for years. It lead me through some amazing growth. Going back and re-reading what I wrote months and even years later was even more eye-opening for me. So I would like to end this entry and begin this blog by sharing the one piece that stands out most in my memory:
November, 1997 - Something you want to try but don't think you ever will... I want to spend a year traveling all around the world by myself.
Thank you, Deb, for that incredible present, and for telling me, "Do iiiiiit!" when I was daydreaming out loud.
So glad you did it and glad you didn't judge a book by its cover. Might've regifted that journal. Turned out well!
ReplyDeleteI am so grateful to your cousin. If not for her gift, you might not be writing this blog. I am going to steal this idea and use it with my students this year. I am also sharing your adventure with them, lauren. Thank you, thank you for sharing your journey with us! Love ya young lady! Veanne
ReplyDeleteI also remember my first journal and how special the person who gave it to me will always be.
ReplyDelete