I'm still scrapping...still using the Adornit kit...still posting. It has kind of turned into my mountain to climb. And I've almost reached the top. Four more pages.
Tonight I walked into the kitchen with my journal in hand and said to Scott, "I love myself." He was very surprised, because that's not a statement I ever make. Usually it's more like I hate my hair or I drive myself crazy. Tonight I was trying to come up with the journaling for these scrapbook pages - for me the writing is the most important part - though you'd not know it to look at my pages or read what I'd written as of yesterday. I love myself because I wrote about our trip. Good stuff.
Really, what's a scrapbook for if not to tell a story? The best way to tell a story is to write down details at the time of the story. That's when you get the great conversations, the profound quotations, the moment-by-moment happenings.
Almost as an afterthought tonight, I went and found my journal - to see if I'd written anything about the Island Park/Yellowstone trip. Bless me. I kept a good journal during the trip. I had written several entries. Suddenly my scrapbook pages had hope. So far, the 'good writing' is only on one page - the yellow page above: the one with lots of words. Tomorrow I'll finish typing up what was in my journal entries - maybe there will be a page with just words and no photos.
Annie Dillard, one of my favorite authors, said this about writing about yourself:
"You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment."
Thoreau said, "Pursue, keep up with, circle round and round your own life."
I'm telling you as I tell myself - if you're in a moment that you know you might want to scrapbook someday, write something down. It doesn't have to be a formal journal entry - some people are so frightened of keeping a journal. (I do, however, recommend keeping some kind of journal or notebook, not necessarily daily, but certainly during important times.) You can simply grab a 3x5 card and jot down what someone said - then drop the card in a card file. Grab a scrap of paper even - write the words then copy to your email and email it to yourself or put it in your email notes. Keep it safe and someday you'll love having that story. I'm so grateful I wrote down Aaron's words as he put Carter in the backpack that day in Yellowstone: "That's as good as it gets right there."
Those are the kind of experiences I want to circle round and round.
