A Boy and His Journal


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Children are more giving, and more forgiving, when they write in a journal. Journaling allows kids to more readily accept themselves for who they are, which in turn allows them to understand and accept others in the same way.
If you’ve ever journaled, then you already know what a wonderfully cleansing practice it can be for your mind, your heart, and your soul. Journaling engenders the clarity needed for self-reflection. Somehow, as they move from the mind to the hand to the pen and onto the paper, our thoughts and emotions, encounters and accidents can now been seen in a new and larger perspective.
I started journaling four years ago, and I have found that the act of writing my thoughts – organized or not, sensical or not – helps me to overcome certain fears. I am in a happier state of mind when I journal. Like my students, I find myself acknowledging and respecting my limitations. Sometimes it even helps me to get the courage to try something a little scary and new.
For children, the simple act of journaling can help them to better understand the world and how they fit into it. I happen to know a young boy who for years would dutifully and detachedly bring donations to his school for various causes like food banks, clothing collections, and other charitable drives. He wasn’t particularly involved or concerned about these drives or the people for whom they were meant to benefit.


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Then two things happened to this boy. He started to journal regularly, sometimes reading past entries and starting to see his life as a series of recorded emotions and events – almost a history.
Around the same time, his teacher asked him to take his annual donation (a pair of boots) to the school’s lobby to put under the Christmas tree.
This simple task suddenly had enormous meaning for this boy. Here is what he wrote in his journal:
My teacher asked me to go and keep the shoes under the tree that I brought from home. So first I thought “why do I have to do this?” but as I was walking down the staircase holding the shoes, I was thinking about all the things I have and how fortunate I am to have basic comforts of life.
As I was putting the shoes under the tree, I felt different and a tear rolled down my cheek. It was a different feeling… a feeling I don’t get when I my parents or family buys something for me…. a feeling I didn’t want to let go…a feeling I can help someone….a feeling I can make a difference. It was one of the best days of my life.


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Journaling allowed this boy to see himself as an integral part of the world by making him more aware of the act of kindness he was executing. Because he was in the habit of journaling and had started to observe himself from a broader perspective, he could feel the beauty of his act at the very same time that he was doing it.
This kind of self-awareness, forgiveness, perspective, and acknowledgement of our humanity and that of those around us are some of the tremendous outcomes of journaling. I recommend it highly for children and adults alike.
Wishing you, your family and your loved ones a wonderful holiday and a happy new year.


Become a Yoga Teacher for Kids
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