Mark the Days

I spend most New Year’s days reflecting on the past year and all the highs and lows.

I begin to plan for the year ahead, marking significant days–birthdays, anniversaries, upcoming events, work commitments holidays, travel–the knowns.

I also plan for adventure, but to be honest, with 2020 and 2021 and some of 2022 being so restricted it’s taken me time to become confident or enthused enough to be excited about a new year.

Don’t misunderstand me, I have plenty to look forward to–our first grandchild, a new puppy, travel to the UK for study, completing a post-grad qualification, significant birthdays in the family and lots more. There’s a lingering sense of unease that lies underneath and I’m not sure what it is.

During the Covid Years, I found myself picking up a 365  journal. Each day, I’d write in it to record the day and feelings I was having. The framework was:

• What did I do today for my health?
• What did I do today that builds connection?
• What did I do today  that serves my purpose?
• What am I grateful for today?

Marking the days in the Covid Years showed me that even though life was restricted in many ways, it was still life and life has to be lived. Marking the days became a practice where I checked in with myself. Gratitude is the most transformative part of the process and marking gratitude helped to count the blessings.

The busyness and stresses of everyday life can overwhelm us, however, stopping to check in, to be still, and to reflect can help to count each day as a blessing, no matter what is happening.

The Bible tells us to ‘Be still and know that I am God.’

Writers live inside their heads most of the time and we are generally quite good at being quiet, however, our minds are rarely at rest because ideas, stories, and characters inhabit our thoughts even when we’re not ‘working’.

To take time out to be still and be grateful, acknowledging the ways that God is at work in our lives and our work, helps bring balance and perspective.

Even when we’re blocked or unenthusiastic, if we mark our days with some time for stillness and gratitude, our writing will flow out of this.

Silence is how we catch our breath. Silence is how we hear ourselves think, and also how we can hear the still, small voice speaking within us.

Julia Cameron

Marking our days, reflecting, debriefing, sitting in silence, and living in gratitude helps us to write, even in the midst of the noise of our lives.

A New Year is a great time to set some intentions and to sit in reflection.

Here’s to a Happy New Writing Year!