Welcome to Taking Note, a weekly hand-drawn addition to Feed the Monster where I aim to give you extra food for the monster and inspiration for taking note of your life.
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I enjoy and appreciate any and all prompts, as they give me another way to think about things. Perspective that I might not have opened my mind to. Whether I write them in my journal or not is irrelevant. I encourage them! (PS: I have been writing in a personal journal--a diary--since I was six years old. I have stacks & stacks of them and they rest right beside me while I'm sleeping, in the shelves at the head of my bed. Although I've taken long breaks from writing entries in years past, I am consistent with my daily morning practice now. My diary entry is a vital part of my day and my overall well-being.) Thank you for these posts. I love them. And especially love the image of the elephant!
I don't think you should shy away from journaling prompts. I have a robust journaling practice (and have started incorporating more visual elements, inspired by you and other folks) - and I appreciate prompts that help me reflect in a different way (like chapters of life or mapping the body). To notice is a practice that we develop by learning to see through different lenses and we can all use more support with that. I'm developing a workshop with a friend right now that will use Zen teaching as a lens for developing creative practice habits... and some of the work you have posted here thus far is helping me think about what kind of work/practice we should incorporate. I might be reaching out to you for permission to steal at some point soon!