Inconsequential Journals

 Thanksgiving has come and gone. My Christmas decor went up this morning. But, I am going to suggest spending a few more minutes on the November holiday. Make a time capsule page in your journal today about everything that happened yesterday. (even if its only a double shift at your job). One day you may want to look back and realize how many people you helped or how glad you are to be in a new job. Things are always changing and our minds can become fuzzy. Celebrate your day. Add some additional things that are traditionally found in a time capsule as well such as the price of gas and what movies were playing at the theater. Do as much or as little as you desire.

      Life has a way of muddying up our plans. The holidays and all the extra responsibilities do their part to pile on more. Today, I am reminding you (and myself) that it's okay to do less. That will look different for each of us. But, you are just as important as everyone else. Preserve your peace and energy. I am going to skip my journaling this week. It is after all inconsequential. If you would still like a page to design, then consider writing out the following reminders. Make them big, bold and difficult to ignore.   IT IS OKAY TO ... REST CHANGE PLANS DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT PROTECT YOUR ENERGY DO LESS RELAX Take care everyone. 💕

 With Thanksgiving next week, thoughts of the big meal are on my mind. Buttery mashed potatoes, crisp green beans and sweet cranberry sauce set my mouth to watering. But what of those not so delicious items that end up on your table. We can all think of a few. As a little stress reliever or bit of fun, take a moment to write out your best excuses to avoid get stuck with a bad taste in your mouth. Then, when Aunt Bessie asks you to try her cheesy brussel sprout and onion casserole with a cinnamon and sugar streusel topping, you have just the right thing to say. "It looks so interesting! Unfortunately, onions don't agree with me these days" instead of grimacing in horror as she lays a big scoopful on your plate. If you're brave enough,  you could even write out the words you would never actually express like, "send that casserole back to hades!". You'll be surprised at how much you have to say!   

      If like me, you just realized that Thanksgiving is next week, you may be feeling a little stressed. Rather than make a to do list, let's dream up a collection we can truly get behind...dessert. It's time to devote a page to everything on the dessert table that you've craved. Think back to years past and draw out all those wonderful treats. Recreate the most amazing buffet of sweets you've ever seen. Then, order something from the bakery to put on the tablet this year. Items That May Appear... 1 - Pie      (pumpkin, pecan, apple...) 2 - Cookies      (oatmeal, chocolate chip, peanut butter..) 3 - Cakes      (red velvet, spice, orange pineapple...) 4- Cheese cake (cherry, blueberry, turtle...) 5- Brownies      (mint, caramel, s'more...)

 It's no secret that November gets over looked. Rather than fast forwarding to Christmas, I am trying to focus on this month. What if we celebrated it as prominently as February? Turkeys get a little bit of attention but it's nothing like the barrage of hearts that arrive mid-winter. What of cranberries, frosted windows or pumpkin pie? There are plenty of things that we can acknowledge during these short weeks between Halloween and the holiday season. With that idea in mind, let's design a card today in our journal celebrating something occurring in November. Use some of those late autumn colors like umber, ginger and burgundy. 

  The idea of being thankful in November is literally everywhere. It's in every type of media and even on your dinner plates. We are told that thankfulness will help ease our troubled minds. That is likely true although the pressure to be happy about your current condition can feel like a burden especially during the holidays. It's okay to be sad when missing loved ones or struggling to put a big meal on the table. Sometime you are so overwhelmed that you can't find a way to enjoy those many blessings. Most of us can think of someone we know who has struggles much worse than our own, but that doesn't mean that we aren't experiencing difficult things ourselves. If daily reminders of your blessings are helpful to you, by all means keep it up. If, however, you find it's not that comforting then I suggest making a page today with a lighter tone and crossing "Being Thankful" off your list for this month. Answer the following questions, add some cute doodles...

 November is the month that often gets overlooked. Sure, we celebrate our veterans and host Thanksgiving but many of us (mostly out of necessity) have moved on to thinking about the upcoming holidays. While it is a good idea to start preparing for December, try to take a little time to slow down and appreciate the weeks of November as well. Think about the golden light of the woods, candles in your home or deep sunsets behind leafless trees. Think about nature as the last wildflowers disappear and frost covers the landscape for the first time. Take these first couple of weeks to savor the transitions from autumn to winter in our minds. Use today's page to brainstorm and write down every association with November you can in a salute to the new month.