one little bird: narrative
one little bird: origin
one little bird: equinox
journaling reads:
Life is stories and stories are life.
They are intertwined on this path we travel through the years. Because, really, what is living without having something to say?
We can go through our days simply existing - and most certainly there are times i choose to do exactly just that - or we can engage our senses throughout the day, taking in all the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions the day’s events bring.
This is often the much harder approach to take as it requires being present and trusting in the here and now, but man it can really be such a rewarding experience. And those rewarding experiences - good and bad rewards! - are what make life worth living.
And a life worth living is a life worth telling….through words, photos, paintings, documents, recordings, journals, instant messages, social media timelines, and scrapbooking. Detailing the ups and downs of life, highlighting the milestones and the everyday, recording the challenges and triumphs, sharing our strengths and weaknesses, acknowledging that our unique perspective matters, and preserving all of the feelings of living our story makes life a vivid, rich, and oh so meaningful experience. And that is precisely what I want my life to be - meaningful. Feeling emotionally, physically, and creatively fulfilled. Learning from life’s lessons and sharing that experience in hopes that it may help someone else on their life journey.
These days, especially, I find myself often mentally checking out and just going through the motions. I then easily forget the details, the conversations, the nuances, and the moments that make live worth living. Refocusing on the present moment can take effort. Sharing this life with other’s and allowing myself to be vulnerable is a challenge. But when it I allow myself to be open, I am aware of how amazing it is to have that connection with others. Connecting to the past, connecting to the big feels, connecting to the lessons learned from the obstacles, and heartaches, and failures, connecting to the humanity of living and telling all of those stories - well, what a freaking amazing gift.
And that is why I document all the things, why I photograph my world and my life, why I share my thoughts and feelings on this journey through life. The path has twists and turns peaks and valleys and so many stories of life’s experiences. And this is why I scrapbook…because our lives and these stories we live matter.
