Here's a paragraph from my own journal:
28 September 2019
“I don’t think there is anything that brings the spirit into my life more so than listening to BYU Vocal Point and stretching firs thing in the morning. It reminds me of my mission. Every day, after running, it was the only CD we had, I would stretch and listen to Vocal Point. My mind often wandered as the words of Come Come, Ye Saints would settle my heart. Now, as I sit and reflect on those memories, they help me through the long and monotonous hours of school. Sometimes I wish to be back there.”
[original entry: usually my journal entries reflect the thoughts I have been having about a Spiritual concept or chapter.]
Variations:
1. “This morning, I listened to BYU Vocal Point. It reminded me of the wonderful spiritual experiences I had on the mission. It acts as a form of meditation for me for the rest of the day. Then I went to school, did homework and went to the gym. I got to see a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I worked for two hours, came home ate and did homework until I retired to bed. Today was just another day. Sometimes I wish to be back there.”
[List like format, chronologically mapping out the experiences of the day, not much thought or emotion behind this journal entry]
2. “I don’t think there is anything that brings the spirit into my life more so than listening to BYU Vocal Point and stretching first thing in the morning. I am inside, preparing to stretch after a brisk morning run. The weather is starting to change, the fall leaves change color. In reflection, I take a deep breath of crisp fall air. Again, memories of Frederick, MD enter my mind. Was it really 4 years ago that my companion and I briskly walked the cobblestone streets downtown, longing to find someone to teach? A dog jumps out, instantly helping me reminisce on days when my companion and I would have to run. It was crazy! Sometimes I wish to be back there.”
[Deeply reflective, tying past memories and emotions to current situations. More descriptive and reminiscent]
3. “-wake up
-meditate with BYU Vocal Point
- Study Scriptures
-Go to school
-go to work
-do hw
- go to sleep
[bullet points. Very informal, no detail, hopefully no one writes a journal like this.]
4. Well it was another day. The semester seems to be going by slower and slower. Wow my haircut is way not good, I look in the mirror, man Studio 1030 usually does a good job at cutting my hair, but this time it’s pretty outlandish. What the heck! They cut way too high! I can’t believe I spent 15 bucks on this! Ugh, I have so much homework. Literally all I do is work and go to school and study. How am I supposed to have a social life? This is not enjoyable. Is it even worth it? Where is the weekend?
[complaining entry, with a bad haircut, this person sees everything in a horrible light. Not effective for progress]
5. I’ve decided to take a stroll through the mountains, I have one headphone in my ear and one out. The tune of Come Come Ye saints starts playing. Though it’s been a hard week, I feel as though I can conquer anything. I get out of my car, removing the headphones, I disconnect from the world. I look to my left, the rocky cliffs stretching high in the sky. A bird dances across the horizon, its heart fluttering giving it life. A worm dangles from its mouth. It only thinks of its next meal and how it can provide for its hatchlings. There they stay, waiting upon what mother has brought for breakfast. The thought then occurs to me, are we any different? I look to my right, the panoramic view of nature excites me as I breath in the morning air. Cool, crisp, calm. There is no wind. There they stand, ancient and immovable – trees. Do they bow to the wind? No. Do they shrink before the hail and the sleet and the storm? No. But here they are on this warm fall day with not even a tinkling breeze to be felt. I look around. All is still.
[Descriptive, I tried to pay attention to the senses, not intended to be didactic, but meant to be thought provoking]
Reflection Paragraph
Writing each variation made me feel different about the day. Though each variation did not happen on September 28, each variation involved an experience that I've had and written in the past. I think my favorite one to read and write is the 5th entry. I really tried to pay attention to detail and recreate an experience I had that could relate to almost anyone. It made me feel like I had a connection to my audience and I hope it invites people to appreciate nature for what it is. Either way, I think knowing I would be writing for an audience changed the way I thought about writing an it allowed me to experience my memories in a whole new way.
I really liked your fifth, descriptive paragraph. You brought up an excellent point with recreating the experience on a different day. Because mine was on a different day, I had to re-think the experience and the details that occurred on that day that the average person would understand, which made it difficult.
ReplyDeleteI loved the reference to your mission that you introduced in the 2nd variation and how the dog jumping out gave you a chance to reflect on past memories. I also liked the structure of your last entry; mixing the subtle references to yourself with your view of nature and the questions it provoked made me feel like this really was a universal experience: anyone could have reason to ponder these questions as they observe nature.
ReplyDeleteI think the details make the entries more colorful, which you dont essentially expect from a journal entry. this makes it more literary in a sense.
ReplyDeleteI think there is good variety in each of these entries. I really feel like I got a different view with each one.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the perspective you brought when you commented on focusing on your audience. I didn't really think about that as I was writing my different journal entries, but it makes sense. Also I am super curious as to your reasoning behind writing your journal in such a reflective way.
ReplyDelete