The Value of Journaling

I guess you could say I started journaling when I was seventeen years old and took a sailboat trip up the coast of British Columbia with my friend’s dysfunctional family. I chronicled our trip, calling it “To Hell and Back in a Sailboat”. This was my first attempt at writing; my mother loved it and encouraged me to do more. I did two years later, at nineteen, when I traveled through all of Western Europe in a VW bus and kept a daily journal of that experience. I can’t remember exactly when I started daily journaling, but it was in my early twenties when I got married. I’ve pretty much been writing daily now for about forty years, with a few lapses during my lifetime where I just didn’t want to write anymore or was too messed up to write; at one point, I couldn’t even hold a pen due to alcoholism.

However, the written record I now possess of my life is incredible, and all written down by my own hand! Many times I have used my journals to look back and find some exact date or other info I needed; and there it was written down long ago. Daily writing keeps me sane, as paper is patient, and I can write out any feelings or frustrations I may have- to get them off my chest, so to speak. Writing is therapy to me and the more you write, the more you’ll be amazed at who you really are. When we talk, we use one part of our brain that responds automatic ally. But when we write, we stop to think before writing what we are going to say. The more you use your writing muscle in that creative part of your brain, the more it will develop and grow, showing you different ways to express yourself with words.

I recently published two books, after many years of rewrites. It was a long, slow process but now I can say that I am a published author and semi immortal, now that my inspirational memoir is out there in cyberspace and Amazon. And I never could have written my books without the years of practice I acquired through journaling. My old journals came in handy again when looking up the spelling of some village in India or Fiji. What is really amazing, however, is that what I actually wrote was often times far different than my memories of the experience! I see that our memories often get distorted and exaggerated over time. That must be the nature of the human mind. But when you can go back and read what really happened in your journal, you’ll be amazed at what you wrote!

Here is an example from my 1979 journal in Fiji Islands:

“Dec. 21- I actually slept okay on the floor last night. The three bachelors taking care of us had coffee and pineapples all ready upon waking- taking care of us greatly. We are presently at a beautiful white sand beach south of Savusavu where I went snorkeling with Bruce in the clearest water yet. A lone horse is next to me as I write this. He accidently smashed all of my bananas when he smelt them in my pack. We ran into red haired Don from Canada again- what a small world! Laid out in the sun some more, to keep that tan that I so adore; how egotistical is that? Then I read some pages out of Paul Brunton’s book about holy men in the Himalayas. It seems to keep me aspiring spiritually here. I tried to meditate by the ocean but my attempts were futile. Maybe someday I’ll be the yogi I really want to be.”

I can barely even remember writing these words years ago, but there you have it and there it is- all thanks to journaling. In fact, when I’m dead and long gone, somebody could take my years of journals and create many movies, stories or books just from the written legacy I’ve daily recorded. Think about it. It is never too late to start writing out your thoughts about your life, as nobody thinks like you do and nobody can do it but you. So, my advice to you now is to start writing daily what is going on in your mind, heart and life. It is one of the greatest blessings you can bestow upon yourself!

Singing My Songs

Last night, I played guitar and sang my songs at a local open mic that only happens once each month. I was second to go on, after a budding young poet read his poems inspired by a Hollywood movie. As I sat down to play, I noticed that I had a very large, alert and captive audience to perform for. And that I did, singing six of my latest original songs. Of course, I told everybody that my new, longly awaited for CD is in the mail and due to arrive anytime. I also announced that there would be a CD release party later this month. However, as I was singing my songs, I became aware that I felt alone on stage, with God listening to what I wrote and playing through me at the same time! I really don't pay much attention to the audience when I play; I'm too caught up in the experience of feeling this unity with God that seems to happen on good nights, especially when I realize that He gave me the inspiration for each of my songs. To me, this is as good as it gets. Writing and singing my own songs seems to be my spiritual path. To be creative is our function in life, and it can be so much fun when you find your own gift. I truly believe everybody has one. Finding it is the challenge.

The Value of a Simple Life

In this fast paced, high tech cyberspace world we now live in, few of us can truly comprehend simplicity or the idea of living a simple life. Granted, there are those living off the grid and growing gardens that are pursuing this goal, but most have no idea what the word “simplicity” even means. We seem to be making our lives more complicated with all the technological breakthroughs, not any simpler.  Simply stated, simplicity is living within your means. But it is so much more than that too. True simplicity is real freedom from so much that burdens us in life. I’ve been living simply, for a very long time. For me, it all began back in 1971, when I began practicing Paramahansa Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship lessons. I became an active vegetarian, sprouting greens and growing wheatgrass long before it became popular and mainstream vogue. And I stayed that way for thirty years, until an aggravated DUI put me in prison for two years, where I accepted meat again as part of my diet. I had to, to stay alive on all levels. And it was time to realize that moderation, in all things, is really the key. I had become too attached to being a vegetarian and it was time to break that mold. I could now take or leave meat, my choice.  But vegetarianism taught me to live on foods that nourished my body and mind, as well as how to live on far less- money wise and calorie wise.

 Prison taught me simplicity real fast, as everything I considered mine was stripped away from me instantly. When everything is gone who are you? That is what I found out in prison. But losing everything wasn’t new to me, as I’d lost it all before in a tragic house fire in 1987, when I was living simply in the woods, on a 12 volt battery system with a rain water system for drinking and bathing. Foreign travel in nineteen countries taught me to live out of a backpack, and living with the villagers in rural Fiji really showed me how simple life can be. We don’t need a lot to survive, but we sure seem to think we need a lot to live! Wrong. When you have less, you actually have more- more time to enjoy the present, instead of worrying about getting more. There is no more; only the same old thing packaged differently! You also have less stress, when you own less. Everything carries a price with it, in some form or another, usually disguised as added responsibility.

On the diet front, when you eat simply to live and not live to simply eat, you’ve got a healthy body that can handle stress better. Stress can be greatly reduced through living a simple life, where you own only what you really need, without a lot of extras. Be grateful for all you have, as it can be easily taken away from you in the wink of the eye. When you’ve lost everything and are forced to start over, as I have been many times in my life, you’ll know the value of gratitude- of being grateful, every moment of your life, for all that you have right now. If you have too much stress, consider simplifying your life. Many people are being taught this lesson now through natural disasters. Why not learn simplicity before it is forced upon you? It’s better than you can imagine!

Write your own songs!

For any guitar players that sing, I highly suggest that you try writing your own songs and get weened off playing cover tunes that somebody else wrote. I wrote my first song in 1981, never envisioning that today I would have close to thirty of my own creations. It's not that hard, once you get clear about what you want to say. Then develop your idea, playing with words that usually rhyme at some point. I personally write my lyrics first, then I play around with different chords and tempos. You just might surprize yourself and your friends with what the creative process can unlock inside of you. Other song writers are no different than me, so give it a try and join our group of "origionals".