I have been writing my Ponderings blog for ten years now. Writing is a passion of mine, and my blog provides an opportunity to sporadically share my life with all of you. Yesterday, as I was sorting through some papers, I found an old draft that apparently was intended to be expanded into a post. I wanted to share it on this tenth anniversary.
“As I write, I am snuggled in my comfortable chair, feet up, and laptop purring along, to write my first blog post on a keyboard rather than my usual paper and pen. I have years of experience with computer keyboards and writing programs, but generally, when I am writing from the heart, I prefer the flow of ideas from pen to paper. The process of writing for pleasure seems to call for the slower, more measured method of finding a pen with just the proper shape and weight and ink that flows gently onto smoothly surfaced paper.
I have often wondered why I feel it necessary to add this extra step to my writing. Why not just use the computer from the beginning, with it ease of correction and revisions. Why do I fall back to this more antiquated method? There is pleasure to be found in the quiet pursuit of handwriting. The vast array of pens and notebooks available today is in itself a treat for one who has long loved writing utensils. As a young child, I remember having been given an old journal, most probably some type of accounting journal, which I treasured. Before I knew the alphabet or could begin to form letters, I spent many pleasurable hours with pen in hand, writing my squiggly version of words in this journal.
When my children were young, my writing was interspersed with the numerous chores of daily living. I did not have the luxury of quiet moments of solitude. My thoughts were jotted down on whatever paper was in close proximity, and I have saved these binders of assorted writings, some on three-ringed notebook paper, some on blank typing paper, and many on whatever scrap of paper was available at the moment. My opinions, longings, and insights were penned in a much more haphazard manner than they now are. I am grateful, though, that I found the time to capture these feelings on paper, because their poignancy tugs at my heart today.”
My blogs are all created on the computer now, because it is fast and convenient. I still keep handwritten journals, though — a garden journal, a journal of books I have read, a journal for each of my grandchildren. Each night, just before bed, I pull out my latest lovely journal and a favorite pen, and write about the day which has passed. I look forward to these quiet moments of introspection at the end of my day. I find much pleasure in reading my old journals, and I believe a life well-lived is worth being immortalized for those who come after us.
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