Category Archives: personal

More On The Levenger 5 Year Journal

5year

I’ve written about the Levenger 5 Year Journal in the past (almost a year ago to the day). Yesterday, during my guest appearance on the always excellent podcast, The Pen Addict, I mentioned it once again and it seems to have garnered renewed interest.

In that earlier review, I said this about its intended use:

“For those not familiar with how a 5-Year Journal works, there are Pages for 366 days, including February 29, with 1 page per day, with 5 line entries – one for each year. It allows just enough to highlight the bullet points of a busy day but forces brevity. It is like Twitter for a private and bygone era. There is no pressure to catalog every detail of life or how you are feeling. Want to simply write a single thought or idea? Well, that is OK too. The beauty is that, those who have felt the pressure of maintaining a journal in the past (like myself) will likely feel far less so with such a low barrier to entry. Take just a few seconds at the end of the day and write what strikes you.”

And, while that is the intended use, I can think of a whole bunch of other things it can be (and has been, for me at least) used for. Here are some ideas and examples:

  • Use it as a “Something new I learned today” log.

  • Use it to record the weather for the day and start to notice patterns and trends over time.

  • Write down your 3-5 most important tasks for the day (hint: My dash/plus system is perfect for this.)

  • Log your workouts or diet.

Basically, anything one could think of needing daily tracking for and you can fit it into five standard ruled lines, the 5 Year Journal is perfect for. And, because each page contains up to five years of entries, it is a great way to be reminded of year-over-year progress.

Also, here is something else that applies to journals in general but is especially true of this one: Don’t be afraid to stick stuff in them that is a token of the day. Did you get a good fortune in your fortune cookie at lunch? Tape it in on that day. Go see a great concert or movie? Stuff the ticket stub between the pages. It adds character and helps to bring the day back to life when you inevitably come back across it next year.

Buddhas

buddha

I collect Buddhas. Buddha statues mainly. But I have a rule. I never buy them for myself. They must be given to me. Because it’s not just about the statues. It is about those that gave them to me and when and why. Each one tells a story.

I set up this MacGuffin of only collecting them as gifts, in part, to collect not the Buddhas but these stories. I want each one to be special and be connected to a place, time, and person. In this way the statue becomes a prompt to a deeper memory. Hopefully, one filled with sentiment and meaning.

Yet, is this not true of all things we acquire? Even the seemingly mundane? I can tell you where and when and why I bought the jeans I’m wearing. My sweater and my boots too. The iPad I’m typing this on has a story attached to it. As does the app I’m using to write it.

The fact is every interaction has a story. Some more memorable than others. Some we create with purpose. Others are the detritus of a life lived. Yet all are essential in weaving the fabric we call “us”.

Clark Loves Me

"We find truth in the things we come back to. The longer you hold onto what you love the more you realize that it is something you truly love. In that sense you dont define your passions your passion defines you." –

Patrick Rhone – Clark Loves Me.

I was honored to be among the artists, photographers, designers, and writers to be featured in Clark Patrick’s ongoing Clark Loves Me series. Therein, he profiles artists of all stripes by photographing, interviewing, and detailing the essence of their work.

Clark is an amazing guy and we clicked on a level that happens rarely but is so rewarding when it does. This was less an interview and more of a verbal jam session between two artists who are passionate about The Work™ and all that encompasses it. His own work is as artistically pure as any photographer I’ve ever met. He uses a mixture of photographic equipment and techniques that literally span the history of the medium. The photos you see in the feature were taken with a modern digital camera through an antique lens and camera box that were both well over a hundred years old. Thus, the artistry is not only about the finished product but the entire journey to create it. I could have spent hours just watching him work.

I don’t even remember saying the quote above but I’m glad Clark captured it and included it in the story because it distills so much of what I believe to be truth. He did such a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of my work by communicating what he took from it which, for a writer, is the highest honor.