Why keeping a journal is actually a great thing to do

"He said our curse as humans is that we are trapped in time-our curse is that we are forced to interpret life as sequence of events- a story -and that when we can't figure out what our particular story is we feel lost somehow" Douglas Coupland, Life After God 

 It's been a long time since I last took my journal and just sat with my thoughts and a good cup of tea. Enrolling in a creative writing course has kicked up my love for writing.

   And I do mean love.

  It's so refreshing having your pen running wild on top of the blank pages, just as wildly as your thoughts whirl in your mind. 

   I want to share with you the reasons why I find keeping a journal so wonderful, and why I urge you to buy a beautiful notebook and a fun colored pen and just let your hand turn your day into a tale. 

• You can clean your mind. Sometimes our days are just too much, be it in a good or bad way. And sometime we don't feel like talking with anyone, so the best option is to get comfortable and pour your day, your thoughts and impressions in your journal. It'll feel like taking a huge weight out of your chest. 
• You'll improve your writing skills. Trying to get your thoughts in curves and lines that fill the paper will take effort. You'll have to think in the right way to express just how incredible the lightning was in your room when you woke up, how sweet was the smell of that bakery you passed by, how playful was your dog when you both went for a walk... With time, you'll want to turn your experiences in a narration. In the end, life is nothing but a narration. 
• You will learn to observe. The pace at which we live today is the epitome of madness. We forget the world around us and concentrate just in all the things we need to get done for the next day, the next week... With my writing I've learnt to observe. For example, the other day, my friends and I went to have dinner, and after that we took a walk and saw a couple of guys that were singing in front of the Roman Theatre with just a guitar and paint containers. Paint containers. We stopped in front of them and just listened. We didn't talk with each other, just focused on the guy's voice and their talent. It felt magical. I was there, with my friends in a place surrounded by history listening to my favorite songs sang by a sweet voice. As soon as I arrived home I felt the need to write all those things down. 
• You'll have fond memories to come back to. We think we can remember every single thing we live, but that's not true. Every day we catch glimpses of things that, for some reason, make us stop and think for a bit. When you take your journal and read it after a long time is like watching a movie of your own life, of the things that live like worms in your brain. You may smile because of the silly things you used to say or do, you may cry because of that heartbreak or that difficult time or you may marvel at how much you've changed, matured and strengthened. 
• You'll get to know yourself better. Probably you think that you already know yourself as best as anyone can but we're constantly changing. Writing your thoughts down is a great way of knowing your most deep self. And this knowledge will help you make decisions and cope with the things that come into your life wat more easily. 
• It's fun. That simple. It will allow you to take a bit of time for yourself and have fun with the paper and pen. Words are a playful thing, and learning how to create your world with them is something magical.