I read a lot. I'm not very discerning in what I read and read from cheesy (and steamy)romances to Pulitzer prize winners, but I'm generally not a re-reader of books. However, in times of stress I like knowing what to expect. I can't handle uncertainty, emotional rollercoasters in the storyline or characters who don't live up to my expectations of them. I need something safe.
The thought of comfort and safety in both an emotional and creative sense was recently top of mind for me as I watched the flames from the Simonstown fires approaching over the mountain. In anxious times, I need comfort, somewhere for my scattered thoughts to fall.
A journal is one such place. I have multiple journals going at any given time, some with themes or where I follow a prompt list. Some journals only document specific things (like a special holiday).
Then I have my everyday comfort journals. The ones I "re-read". Spreads I loved doing and still love looking at. Journals made with beautiful tactile items meant only to evoke pleasure and joy. These journals have no blank pages. They are not difficult to work in. They create no expectation or anxiety about perfection. They provide an easy place to create, whether that takes the form of one sentence or a jumble of stickers. Sometimes they never get used, they only stand as a testament to beauty.
They are comforting to me because I made them. With my special and "best" items. My good stuff doesn't get stuffed in a drawer because I told myself they're too pretty or good or expensive or irreplaceable to use.
The items are in my comfort journals. Where they can bring joy when it's needed.
So this is your reminder - use the special things, surround yourself with beauty, create soft surroundings.