On his first day working from home, YBW said to me, “I wonder if I should be documenting this time?” His voice got all ‘movie trailer guy’ and he said, “YBW working from home: day one.”
I giggled, then encouraged him to document.
I told him about reading this interview with University of Virginia professor Herbert ‘Tico’ Braun.
In an email encouraging his current and former students to document their lives “during this unprecedented time” he wrote:
The mantra of our course is, ‘Write it down.’ When you do, much of your life and who you are will be different than if you don’t.
He tells his students, “You do not write alone.”
He’s so right!
We don’t write alone. Especially here, in this blogging community.
LA is sharing her life in this time. So is Maggie. Ellieejay and Betul shared theirs at Pointless Overthinking, Claudette is sharing her’s too.
What I love about reading these posts is that in an anxious and fearful time, these ladies are being real. Speaking their truths. Being honest and unmerciful with their thoughts and feelings. And using humor to their advantage.
I thank you for documenting your lives in these ‘unprecedented’ times. It helps us realize we are not alone, however shut away from the world we are. We are a community of human beings. And no matter how far and wide we are spread, we are all in this together.
By sharing our lives via the written word we begin to feel more connected in the immediate, and as time goes on these words will be powerful documentation to look back upon.
I’m choosing to journal about what I think and how I feel about this time in our world. It looks different than my blogging, but I approach it with the same level of honest and unmerciful truth, and a metric-fuck-ton more sass and complete disregard for proper grammar.
Regardless of where I write, I’m choosing to acknowledge fear and anxiety, flex my humor muscles, and embrace a whole lotta love, grace, and gratitude.
We’re all in this together.
Thank you.
I am truly grateful that we do not write alone.
therobynbirdsnest 
Thank you! Reading and writing are going to be the things that save me! And as I find myself at ground zero, again, I realize that resiliency is the only thing you really need, plus a good dose of humor and self deprecation…💗💗💗💗
Amen, sister. Amen.
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Yes, write it down! It’s such a good way to preserve a little sanity, process feeling and emotions, and lend support.
Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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I admit I didn’t think I should journal but admired people who did. One year I got up early to run for an hour and then when I got home I would quickly jot down a few thoughts, birds I saw and so on.
A few years later when I wasn’t running, I came across that journal and read one date when I saw a pure white heron. I remember the awe I felt but I had no one to share it with. The journal brought it back and I shared it with myself.
I love that, thank you for sharing that story!
For years I journaled all the icky, negative thoughts inside me. Looking back at those was honestly horrible. I got them all together and burned them. It was cathartic. Now I journal differently, more like the way I blog, but not exactly. I have come to depend on those pages, and looking back on my words feels so much healthier now.
I hope looking back is inspiring and refreshing
Yes!
Thank you 🙂
Stay safe Robynbird 💖
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