Sculpting Project 13: Cairns: Week 1

When Evan and I go hiking in unfamiliar places we follow a trail. This is because we want to arrive at a particular destination and then we want to turn around and arrive back at our truck before dark. Trails are marked in various ways depending on the terrain. When we began hiking in Moab area I discovered my favorite trail markers, cairns. When hiking over expanses of slick rock we follow a path marked with small rock pile cairns. Sometimes we add to the pile or create another one to guide hikers over a tricky area. Sometimes we turn them into a miniature inuksuk. (Inuksuk: Large rock people created by folks in the arctic regions. Our inuksuk will greet you half way down our daunting driveway.)

I have used journaling off and on for most of my life. This past January on my retreat I began to take my journaling to a new level. Many times a day I make short entries and these entries have become my cairns. Little pointers to keep me on my chosen path. This way of journaling has been extremely helpful for me. I feel like I am making progress getting over a mountain that I have been wandering around for a long time.

Journal writing is used as a therapy method to:

Clarify thoughts
Get to know yourself
Reduce stress
Solve problems
Resolve conflicts
Track patterns
Manage behavior
Deal with trauma

More advantages: James Pennebaker, from U of Texas, has used journaling as a research topic and has discovered that in addition to the above benefits journaling can help treat asthma, arthritis, and boost the immune system. Since God created our bodies and minds to go together this is not so surprising. Physical health benefits accompany our sculpting projects. A perk to enjoy.

Though I have been spending more than two minutes a day in my journaling I have tested a two-minute project that has been very satisfying. At the end of each day I spend a couple of minutes writing a haiku (three-line poem with 5,7,5 syllables per line) to sum up a key observation of my day. A lesson to remember in a nut shell. More ideas for your 2 minute journal: Answer a question. Where have I found God today? What went well today and why? Record dreams. Ponder a dilemma. Explore hopes and goals. Track a behavior you are adjusting, Make a gratitude list.