The Tattered Journal

View Original

Sunday Snapshot: The Blank Page

Throughout the week, I had a couple fleeting ideas for this week's blog post but nothing stuck. Sunday morning inevitably ushered itself in despite my lack of inspiration, so I sat down with a cup of coffee and opened my journal. I flipped through it, reading bits and pieces of old entries and feeling memories like they were yesterday. I turned to the next blank page, took a sip of coffee and settled in. Nothing came to mind. I looked out the window, momentarily distracted by the sound of a motorcycle zooming up my street then a dog barking in response. Another sip of coffee, and now it's time to focus. Still nothing. As I stared at the blank page of my journal, a slight sense of panic started to creep over me. Is this writer's block? I closed my eyes while taking a deep breath in; I slowly exhaled and opened my eyes.

The blank page was still there, but now it looked like an opportunity instead of a roadblock. I could write anything. I could doodle. I could feverishly scribble if that's what felt good. There was so much potential in that blank journal page. 

I started thinking that if we look at life like it's a blank page, we truly create the power to write our own stories. Of course it's difficult to have this view when we get bogged down in work pressures, everyday routines, and societal expectations, but I'm going to challenge myself to maintain this perspective because I've written myself into some pretty amazing stories. And when we get to the end of a story, we can flip the page and start a new one.