Journaling: A Workout for the Brain

All the authors we have visit the Lower School mention keeping a journal. Author Jack Gantos advised using a small unlined notebook to fit in one’s pocket and accommodate any sketches. Two of my (now grown) children keep journals, one in a spiral notebook and one on the computer. And while I don’t write anything many days, I faithfully keep a journal when I am on vacation or traveling. 

It is so interesting to go back and read them later, not just for the events and sights I had forgotten, but for the way I felt at the time I wrote. If you do journal, you have a ready source of material for essays, a book or two, or a story for your children and grandchildren about “when you were younger.” It’s another good thing we can do to help our brains focus better and relive some great memories.