Journaling is one of my favorite hobbies. It’s writing that I do for myself. Reflecting on my days helps me to keep a healthy context on my teaching – and to remember the bigger picture amidst the day-to-day dramas of putting 300+ people together in a building. Journaling is self-care.

And this week, journaling simply didn’t happen.

This week was a revolving door for stationery. I lent out a second pen. I gave away a bottle of ink. And two new bottles of ink arrived at my doorstep. Breezy.

My favorite part of working in analog – or living within a hobby like stationery – is greeting new experiences. Each new ink you buy offers a novel color option, and a new writing experience with every pen you put it in. Every new pen offers a unique writing experience with each of the inks in your collection.

Add to pen and ink combinations your paper choices. And nib sizes. Permutations of new experiences – and wonderful discoveries.

Most weeks, pen meets paper in my personal journal three or four times. I wrote an entry every night this week. Six entries is double my usual personal writing.

I’ve journaled regularly for three years. Over that time, I’ve fallen into a system of structuring my entries.