Do You Need Clarity in Your Thinking? I know the secret to getting it.

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 62

Welcome back, Pen to Paper readers!

Let’s start with an image to make you smile.

Photo by S.G.S. Abel

Is this not one of the most adorable pictures you have ever seen? Some of my social media friends are getting to see this again, with good reason.

Pictures tell a story. Pictures can also be misleading. I’m not talking about a touched-up photo. All I did was crop this one.

In this newsletter:

1. The story behind the adorable picture.

2. Even when life isn’t going my way, I wouldn’t change a thing.

3. How journaling has changed my thinking.

Once upon a time…

My granddaughter asked to spend the night. How lucky am I that she asked?

Since she was four, she has been coming to spend the night once or twice a month. Now she’s six. We have fun baking, crafting, playing games, and hanging out with my dog, Arlo (he loves both my granddaughters).

Honestly, it wears me out. I’ve learned to go to bed when she goes to bed. I never sleep well because my “inner-mom” alert is automatically turned on. Not to mention, it’s been 25 years since I had small children in the house. You lose the stamina you had in your thirties.

Arlo doesn’t sleep well, either. His “child” alert is on.

The night this picture was taken, they did not sleep together. Arlo sleeps in a crate in my bedroom. During sleep-over nights, we are both ever-alert for the sound of little feet.

It was an unusually active night.

• 2 a.m.- footsteps pattered outside my door, and a collar jingled. A check on both and then it was back to the crate and bed.

• 5:15 a.m.- the collar jingled again, outside with the dog and back to bed for both of us.

• 6:45 a.m. - Arlo is up for the day. My granddaughter joins us at 7:00.

I was exhausted. I had grouchy thoughts about anyone in the house who slept all night.

I wouldn’t change a thing.

I put much thought into using that story in my newsletter because both of my granddaughter’s parents read it. However, the sleepover is not the end of the story.

Even waking up with grouchy thoughts, I wouldn’t change a thing about the experience. I’m not complaining.

I remember spending the night at my grandmother’s and waking up in the middle of the night.

I remember my sons waking up in the middle of the night until I thought they were too old to do it.

I look back at those memories and cherish them. Just like I’ll cherish the memories my granddaughter is making with me.

Oddly enough, this week I ran across the essay I wrote after the first time she spent the night (I’ve noted it below). After reading it, I realized we have much higher expectations of her now that she’s six. She’s still a child. As an adult, I need to be the one to accept how sleep-overs are.

Sleep is nice, but I know there will come a time when she won’t ask to spend the night. So, I don’t want to change anything, and I’m not complaining.

Journaling changed my thinking process.

This experience made me realize I think differently than I used to.

After my granddaughter went home, I laid down for a nap (which is another part of having less stamina). My thoughts drifted to how I would approach my mood if I was writing in my journal. No one needed to be the victim of my lack of sleep.

And that’s when it struck me. I was thinking the words I would write if I had a pen in my hand sitting with my journal.

This was not the first time I’ve found myself thinking like this. It was the first time I made the connection.

Journaling has helped me gain clarity in thinking. I identify the source of my issues (sometimes they are not as obvious as sleep). I take more time thinking before taking action. I consider the effect my actions have on others.

This change in my thinking process did not happen overnight. Journaling gratitude started the process. My free journaling has made the biggest difference. I’ve been free journaling for over a year.

Sticking with a daily journaling habit results in the growth of its benefits. Clarity in your thinking process is one.

The first sleepover 2 years ago. Photo by S.G.S.Abel

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

1. My feelings about my granddaughter spending the night really haven’t changed. Here’s the essay I wrote after her first sleepover. 🛌

2. I’m grateful that my journaling has made me aware of the mindset change I need to adjust to less sleep when it’s for a good reason. ✍️

3. Uninterrupted sleep is a good thing. If you want to know more about its importance, check out this article.

4. This article tells you more about how much your dog should be sleeping. 🐶

5. A quote: The Stoics remind us that whatever happens to us today or over the course of our lives, wherever we fall on the intellectual, social, or physical spectra, our job is not to complain or bemoan our plight but to do the best we can to accept and fulfill it. -Ryan Holiday

6. I’m grateful for reading and sticking with the activities in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. It was the beginning of free journaling for me. 📖

7. I’m grateful for my persistence in being consistent with my journaling habit.

Thanks for reading!

If you are finding the holidays to by a tough time to stick to your good habits, track a habit tracker or daily sentence of affirmation. Those are forms of journaling.

💚

Susan

Are you interested in knowing more about how to start journaling? Leave a comment and I’ll answer you.

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