Writing for me and my eyes only
on Journaling
As an attempt to get further away from social media, I’ve started writing more with software on my computer instead of Google Docs as I’ve done in the past. So far, it’s been working pretty well and even helped me write a piece of flash fiction – which I’ll probably share at some point after giving it another look over.
It also helped me get back into journaling.
I have a love/hate relationship with writing down my daily thoughts, and it’s mainly because I kind of hate writing my thoughts on paper with a pen. I love this analog method when I’m making outlines or quick pieces of writing, but journaling feels torturous because I write so slow AND my handwriting is so sloppy that when I read my own handwriting I often can’t read it myself (I’m sorry to whoever has to sort through my journals after I die and wish you good luck.)
Typing on a computer is where I’m most comfy since I can type pretty fast, but I needed something more organized than a bunch of Google Docs in a Google Drive folder.
I ended up going with an app called Diarium (which I mainly wanted to share because it sounds like Diarrhea to me? The guy who made it is German so he gets a pass I guess.)
Since I’ve started using it, I’ve put down quite a few words and thoughts. It’s been really helpful and has kept me in the habit of daily writing. I’m hoping I end up writing more fiction as a result, but either way it’s great to get all my feelings and thoughts down so I can look back on them in the future.
Hiking through nature’s beauty
The weather has been SO NICE out lately, and I’ve touching grass way more as a result. Jenn and I are trying this new thing where we hike in the morning before work once a week. It sounded really bleh at first, but I trusted her and ended up really digging it.
The animals are out in full force too, and I forget how much better that makes a hike. You feel less alone and are reminded that there is actually life in the forests. You even get to see cute animals like groundhogs!
We’ve been trying out a couple parks over the weekends, and it’s fun building up a list of places to hike. Some of them have been duds, mainly because there aren’t many trails, but others have been real winners.
There’s an environmental park nearby that we’ve gone to countless times, and it’s just awesome because they do a great job of walking the fine line between letting nature just be and also letting humans walk amongst it. The vibe of the whole place seems to be very respectful of the animals there and I always feel like I learn a little bit more about the beauty of the animals we share this planet with.
The park also does some interesting things to keep it healthy. This past trip we saw the remains of a prescribed burn (AKA a controlled burn.) If you’re not familiar with it, the park basically will set parts of the land on fire. This sounds bad, but it actually can mitigate fire risks and provide some other benefits. I’ve known about the concept for some time, but had never seen it before.
A photograph doesn’t capture the vibe of it perfectly (or the smell either!) but I hope you kind of get the idea of it. I walked briefly through the trail going through the remains, feeling both in awe and fear. It was comforting to me to know that we know how to do controlled burns so as not to lose entire forests, but scary to see the destruction fire can cause even when it’s controlled.
After our recent hike, I feel like I walked away with even more appreciation and gratitude for the local parks and nature that we have access to.
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Tara Y
It's cool that there's a place where the public can be educated on controlled burns and their importance. More of this!