Reverb10.2 This is Where the Practice Begins

It's not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts it's what you put into the practice.
(Eric Lindros)

Reverb 10.2 – Prompt from December 2, 2010

Writing. What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing – and can you eliminate it? (Leo Babauta)

Yes, I'm part of the Reverb 10 HQ. Yes, I feel compelled to answer all the prompts with eloquence and grace. Yes, this prompt is a challenge.

I'm not quite sure I consider myself a writer. Reading, journaling, writing poetry and blogging have been parts of my life since I can remember. My thoughts make more sense once they're outside my mind. I process by talking with my closest confidants. I make sense of the world by recording in my notebook the details that hurt. I express my desires and sparkle to the world through this website - and projects like Reverb 10.

To answer this prompt as written would be dishonest because I have not made writing a practice in 2010. I wrote, life got in the way, and then I would write again. This is how my year went.

I can tell you that I started a new journal just a few weeks ago. It's pretty blank and my intention is to fill it up with good bits, honest thoughts and perhaps a few challenging moments. I like rereading journals that include the good times much better than the bad, so at some point I stopped recording the messier and more complicated parts of my life. Sometimes that means that I don't write at all. Other times that means I break my rule and write about the muck.

In 2011 I intend to fill up that new journal — with ideas, encouragement and moments that need recording. I will do my best not to censor myself. I'll also try not to judge myself if this sentiment falls by the wayside.

Perhaps one day I will publish a book. Many books. Maybe then I will consider myself a writer. Until then, the practice is where I will begin.

Image: Hannah Olinger