The Daily Dialogue

‘Because I write all day long professionally and work very hard at my craft, most of my adult life I have passionately resisted keeping a personal journal. It just seems like too much effort and I really didn’t have the time. But when I embarked on the Simple Abundance path, I became aware of all the conversations that I continuously carry on with myself. There was rarely a quieting of my mind. Instead, I’d hear: “That cat’s acting funny, is she sick? If the Cleveland airport get snowed in on Thursday, how will I get home? Am I ever going to get paid again? We need new slipcovers in the living room- the old ones are starting to look shabby.” And so forth. I discovered that my mind will grab hold of a single thought like a pit bull terrier with a bone and not let go until I’m exhausted or have lost interest.

On day, desperate to quiet the voice in my head, I took a spiral notebook and began having a conversation with myself on the paper. Everything I was worried about just spilled out in a rapid stream of consciousness. What I was doing was not so much recording the events in my life as much as eliminating the mental minutiae that was depleting my creative energy and driving me crazy. I was then able to let go and get on with my day. “Groan and forget it,” the writer Jessamyn West advised. She’s right. This ritual became very centering and therapeutic.

I have been doing my daily dialog for several years now, and while I may sometimes skip a few days, I always look forward to checking in with my consciousness because the inner tool really works. It clears my head and calms my restless spirit. It will do the same for you. Interestingly, after a while, the pages take on a life of their own. I call this ritual the daily dialogue because you are really conversing with someone much wiser and saner as you write: your authentic self.

Try writing a daily dialogue as an experiment for twenty-one days. That’s the length of time psychologists tell us we need to perform a new behavior before it becomes habitual. Neither the time of day nor the amount you write seems to matter as much as the repetition. Stressed souls need the reassuring rhythm of self-nurturing rituals. Sometimes, when I have a particularly thorny issue to resolve, I’ll write two pages in the morning and come back in the evening to see if there isn’t an answer that’s more forthcoming. Very frequently there is. And until there is, at least there is a relief and release.

When you start writing the daily dialogue, you will probably be shocked at how much complaining you do at the beginning. That’s okay. Actually, that’s a very healthy reaction. You can’t moan about a situation for months and not decide to do something about it. You’ll get tired of the sound of your own nagging and be inspired to get moving.

Another suggestion: don’t use a fancy, pretty journal for your daily dialogue. It is too intimidating, because you’ll then want it to be perfect and profound and that’s not the point; use a spiral or loose -leaf pages. Just get down on paper whatever’s hovering on the horizon of your brain disguised as a dull headache.

Alison Lurie confessed that “With pencil and paper, I could revise the world.” Writing a daily dialogue is a sure way of revising yours as you search for your authenticity.’ – Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

Honestly, in the first few paragraphs, it sounded a bit crazy. But as I read on, I get what she is saying. And, I am certain mine will sounds like lots of complaining, but the sound of nagging is exactly what would annoy me and encourage me to see situations with a different pair of eyes.

This gives new meaning to the following quote….

‘I will write myself into well-being.’ -Nancy Mair