A unique way to journal for celebrating your inspirations.
Saying something is “common” is like saying it is not special. Common things are everyday, expected, a-dime-a-dozen. Odd then, that something called a “Commonplace Book” is truly a personal treasure, an individual roadmap of all the selves I have been over the last thirty years. Though it began as a (dreaded) college assignment, this book and what it contains are reminders of influences in literature, song, and friendship that have shaped my thinking and guided my life journey.
The original assignment was, on its face, a simple one. Get any blank book and begin a journaling project to record the new ideas we were being exposed to as college freshmen. There were no guidelines for subject or length, or any restrictions as to content. The nervous and conscientious student that I was, I chose a traditional, bound journal and set about trying to find the right quotes and literary references that would impress my honors professors. When the first due date came around, a quick survey of the other students in my program revealed people were really making this an introspective, thoughtful storehouse-a common place to keep things that mattered. One friend included the ticket stubs from her first college stage performance and collections of her original writings. Another student abandoned literary references altogether and created a journal of music lyrics that defined him. I needed to loosen up.
My professors were not giving me an assignment to be graded, but a tool to keep track of my thoughts and perspectives in a very personal way.
After my false start, my book became exactly what it was meant to be. I have continued my “assignment” for the thirty plus years since college and have no intention of stopping now. Its pages document my journey. The first entries of an uptight college student (Agamemnon quotes? Seriously?) lead into poems and passages from beloved authors (T.H White and ee cummings), song lyrics that reveal some mystery of life (Tears for Fears “Shout” of course), and snippets of conversations I must remember. As much as I like to write, I have never been one for keeping a journal in its more traditional sense. Filling my Commonplace Book has allowed me to record my history in a way that doesn’t feel like an obligation. It has also let me share my book with people I love and it doesn’t seem like I’m handing over my diary. I can look back and see how I viewed the world at 20, 33, or 45. It shows me how I felt and feel about friendship, motherhood, faith, and grief. It has collected memorabilia like my daughter’s six-year-old Christmas list.
I have used the Commonplace Book format for a Prayer Journal. And once, I gave a blank journal as a wedding gift and commissioned the couple to create it together and use it as a touchstone for the times in their marriage when they may be having trouble remembering how they felt on their wedding day. I hope they did it, just as I hope the friends who started their Commonplace Book as part of the original assignment with me in 1986 have treasured it as much as I have.
Starting your own Commonplace Book is definitely a gift you should consider for yourself.
Here is a favorite journal of mine, but any blank journal or notebook that suits your style will do. Start by writing the words to the song you can’t get out of your head, or the line from the book you’re reading that made you laugh. Tuck into its pages the note your son left you on the fridge, or the program from your daughter’s dance recital. There are no rules except to notice the bits of life that resonate with you. Take an extra moment to make sure you keep them safe with you. Let the commonplace become your treasure.
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