We were only allowed to bring a limited number
of personal items aboard the ship when we left Earth, and I know it was a
tough decision for many of my ship mates when it came time to select. For me,
the decision was easy: I had to bring these notebooks.
Some people need to talk out their problems and issues. I’m one of those people who prefers to journal; there’s something about putting my thoughts and emotions on paper that helps me process all of the things that are fighting for attention in my mind.
I talked with Dr. Armistead about it before we launched, and she told me that she’s the same way. To her, talking is good, but once the words are out of your mouth, she felt like they dissolved into the air, and left no record of ever being spoken, and therefore carried no weight. However, words that are written, she said, seem to carry a little more power; they are bolder, and often have more truth within them.
Personally, I believe that written thoughts require a little more bravery. It’s easy to open your mouth and spill words. But to sit down and compose your thoughts on paper requires more time, more thoughtfulness, and opens pathways to other thoughts that you might otherwise not have considered.
When I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m angry…the emotion seems more real to me when I’m able to write it down and explain it. And it’s comforting to be able to look back and read the journal of my life and my feelings, and know that I’m truly human.
(What do you say, Galahad fans? Do you keep a journal? If so, how has it helped you with your thoughts and feelings? When you journal, are you completely honest with yourself? Feel free to post your reaction to Triana’s journal entry, and thank you for visiting the Galahad Blog!)
I feel much the same way as Triana does. It feels much more honest and real
to write down my feelings than to blurt them out to anyone. Sometimes my
journaling leads to poetry and those get transferred into a separate journal
for safekeeping. Many years later, those poems and journals can evoke
feelings almost as strong as the originals.
Journaling is something I recommend to all. People who bottle things up
inside have an escape. Blurters have somewhere to write down their thoughts
rather than always pouring to their friends and others. And people who can
talk, but never be honest during that time, can reflect honestly without
worrying about being judged.
I sometimes feel the way Trina does but most of the time I am the type of
person to bottle it up. Every once in a while I will write down stuff that I
think or I might tell my friends. However most of the time I will just keep it
to myself. Another thing I do is I talk to myself in my head. Like when i get
mad at someone I will say how I really feel in my head. I also think of stuff
that I want to tell them to their face but I never actually do tell them.
Blurting has gotten me in a lot of trouble, so I really prefer journaling much of the time. There are occasions when you need the opinion of another human being, but even in those cases I think you find yourself trying to sound out your words in your head (”How will it sound if I say THIS?”). I think that’s really like writing things down.
I agree. Sometimes it get too hard to say what you really want to say, out loud.
Say if you’re really angry at someone, and want to complain, but don’t know who to talk to.
A journals great to write in then.
But sometimes if i leave it too long in between entries, i feel the need to write, as if i have to.
So i deliberately don’t, i don’t know why though.
it sort of takes away some of the point in writing in a journal when i have to write what i’ve missed out on.
I enjoy writing and re-reading the entries but i can’t write every day.
I’d probably run out of things to say.