Journal

When I was little, I kept a faithful journal. All the way from 3rd through 5th grade, I wrote nearly every week, if not every day. Junior high found me writing almost as often, but with the occasional two month lapse. High school had more lapses, but I still wrote fairly regularly. College was harder because I didn't have the time to write. I was too busy doing homework or kissing boys or dancing to "We Didn't Start the Fire" with a rag tied across my nose to ward off the banana-eating fruit flies (shout out to Kelli!) but I still wrote every month or so. Then I graduated and I swear to you my journaling habit died with the arrival of my diploma. I would force myself to write every few months or so just to keep up on the goings on, but I just didn't seem to have anything to say. Yes, my life was full of lots of things worth writing about (first year teaching, dating/getting engaged to Deg, hilarious roommate times, family drama) but when I would remember to write, it seemed like I remembered nothing worth writing. And then I got married. The last time I wrote in my journal was a month after our honeymoon because I figured I should write down the places we went and the cool things we say. To be honest with you, I have a vague idea as to where my journal is, but I sure couldn't tell you off the top of my head exactly where it resides. It's been a year and a half, people. That's a really long time. And I know someone's out there thinking, "Oh come on, don't just journal because we're supposed to because some church leader thought it was a good idea." Well, Mr./Ms. Cynical, I actually journal (or, well... used to) because it helps me think and process and I think it's fun to go back and read and reflect and to learn from my past. I have tried to console myself with the fact that I blog pretty frequently, but I'm not sure that makes up for it. There are things I don't blog about because I don't want to or they're too personal or they're important to me but NO ONE else would care. So does this really count? And how do you catch back up after an 18 month hiatus? So many questions...

So I feel like these are my options:
1. Count this as a journal and be okay with not including overly personal stuff I don't want the world (or, more likely, my cousins) to know about.
2. Find my journal, dust it off, and spend a looong time catching up, after which I recommit myself to writing.
3. Find one of those online journal thingies that lets you do an entry every so often and combine the two: type my thoughts in, which tends to be more appealing to me, but it's not a shared deal.
4. Forget the whole thing and go buy a new pair of shoes.

Before I make my final decision, I want your honest advice. What have you tried? What works for you? What doesn't? What have you heard from others if you don't use some of these techniques?