I have a confession to make: I don’t journal. I know, I know ... all writers journal.
For that matter, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve attended a retreat that stressed the importance of journaling to one’s prayer life.
The fact of the matter is, if you follow my blog on the E-J website (a loose use of the term “blog,” to be sure) then you read about 95 percent of what I write these days (short of my efforts at the clinic during my “day job”).
I’ve heard all the legitimate reasons for journaling: putting your struggles/joys/thoughts into writing helps you reflect on where you were at particular points in your faith journey as you look back; it acts as a cathartic when pain or anger are weighing you down; it often serves as prayer itself when done in a conversational style. I agree with all of the above.
My problem is time. It’s one of those classic dilemmas — if I want to spend 30 minutes journaling then something else is going to have to go.
Sleep? I get 6-7 hrs a night. How about TV time? I typically spend only 30-60 minutes a day — usually serving as a means to “wind down” before bed — in front of the boob tube. To be totally honest, however, I also probably watch 2-3 movies every week. That’s another 4-7 hrs or so.
I justify that time as my effort to, as with my reading, catch up on some classics (or keep up with the culture, depending on the choice of flick that night). Reading time, as noted, is probably limited to 30 minutes a day or so and is also generally spent on classic novels. Paltry, I know, but for someone with Restless Leg Syndrome sitting still is a chore (my sister used to gripe about all my movement as I sat next to her at the supper table growing up).
After working from 8-6 or so (later when on-call) and squeezing in a few meals, meetings and errands, where in world will I find that 30 minutes to journal? First, we should point out that time can’t really be “found.”
I recall a lecturer stating that fact back when I was in high school. He was a Korean War veteran and told us about the time he found a live baby in a ditch beside the road.
Time, however, must be created. And while Einstein’s theory of Relativity proves that time is indeed malleable, it seems that the only way to slow it down is to travel near the speed of light. I’m quick ... but not that quick.
So, if you’re still with me (and I wouldn’t blame you if not), where does that leave me? I recall a saying attributed to St. Francis DeSalles regarding prayer: everyone needs to pray at least 30 minutes a day. Those too busy for 30 minutes ... need to pray an hour.
Though journaling, strictly speaking, isn’t prayer, it does, as noted above, help to improve our overall psyche. This, in turn, lends itself to improvements in all of our relationships. God is no exception.
Not convinced? Neither am I. For now, when it comes to prayer, I’ll stick with spiritual reading, selections from Scripture and my trusty rosary.
As for writing, this blog will have to do for the time being. I just don’t see much wiggle room when it comes to my daily routine.
Perhaps I’m looking in the wrong direction. Any sci-fi enthusiasts out there aware of any developments in the “moving at the speed of light” realm?
Michael Artigues, a McComb pediatrician, writes regularly on family and social issues, or whatever strikes his fancy. “meus axilla” is Latin for “my armpit,” which he chose as the title of his blog in honor of his dad, who says that opinions are like armpits: everybody has them and everybody else’s stinks.
