Don't Forget the Nuances

The other day I asked my friend, who is having a year-long adventure of the Asian persuasion, if he was journaling about his experience. Actually, I think my question was by far more pestering, similar to "are you keeping a diary with a heart-shaped lock?" Although his sister had bought him one ( a journal), he had only written in it three times in two months, and with this track-record, it is safe to declare, he is not journaling. Then, he said something that made me think, "There's no point in keeping a journal. If you can't remember something that happened, then it wasn't that important anyway." What an interesting sentiment.

A sentiment I couldn't disagree with more. Journaling isn't about remembering the sequence of events, or which monument you visited, or listing the types of food you tried. It's about capturing the nuances of the moment, not just what you ate, but how you felt when you ate it, the smell, the texture, what music was playing overhead, what you talked about with your friend during the meal, and how all of this made you feel?

Actually, in the spring, I went to Prague with some friends, and I was challenged with a similar question. A fantastic American boy, Jason from Colorado, and I had whipped out our journals and began jotting down whatever it is you jott down after a day of site-seeing. Then this Greek girl then asked, in a rhetorical manner, "You two keep journals?" in a cavalier tone. It's one of those statements that makes you want to say, "No. what on earth would give you that idea?" with a grave, expressionless voice as the journal is sprawled across your hostel bed. She continued by stating she didn't keep a journal, but relied on memories and photos, and without moving her mouth or even forming any words, she told us we were complete morons for not doing so.

The ever popular, catch-phrase that states "a picture is worth a thousand words," is only true in particualar scenarios. A photo might be able to capture the beautiful colors of a giant, stained glass window, but it can't express the way the cathedral felt as cold as an igloo, and how the sun beaming through the windows made various colors dance on the floor. It can show the four favorite friends you made, but it can't articulate the silly dance one does after a few beers, or a hilarious incident in a bathroom where a friend pees in what sounds like Morse Code, nor can it communicate the feelings of how majestic, humbling, and vast the Alps are, or how truly peaceful and placid the waters of the Adriatic are. There is a certain consciousness and tangibility a two-dimesnional photograph can't absorb no matter how beautifully composed.

I for one have a terrible memory. It's amazing how I can be young, and magically, have such a bad memory, but I do. Long-term especially. However, random things prompt my memory. Occasionally, a photo. Sometimes, a memorable scent donated by a breeze. A familiar laugh in the distance at the grocery store. And journals. It amazing what you can forget in a short amount of time. I looked back at my journal from Budapest, which was poorly tended to, and reread my blogs, and I had forgotten so many of the little incidents that occured. I even forgot writing them. After reading all of the seemingly insignificant details I wrote about, it made these past experiences come alive once again. Therefore, journaling in combination with photos and the memories your brain can store, is a way to capture all your amazing experiences and keep the memories fresh and alive!