Writing It All Down - Lent 2022: Day 25

I often struggle to move forward. Procrastination and laziness hold me back. 'Moving forward' for me means extending the depth and breadth of my understanding of life. This is a mental process, a never-ending learning process. I am continually learning - by analysis of what I hear from others, what I read and what I experience for myself. And then I have to make sense of it all. But all the time there are distractions, and that dreaded 'can't be arsed' mindset that needs to be overcome.

So many thoughts pass through my mind - how many of them actually moving me forward? Great ideas, great insights, are rare - but do I capture them? 

Every day, as I set off for my walk, I take with me my keys, wallet, glasses, notebook... the other day, half way round my circuit I had a thought that merited instant noting down. Not just the idea, but the exact form of words in which I'm framed it. I immediately whip out my notebook from my pocket - but it turns out I've left my ballpoint pen at home. And by the time I'm back, I've forgotten that thought. Totally.

My Lenten discipline to write a blog post every day is useful to me. Year by year, I can - you can - look back over what I've written to trace the development of my thinking, since 2007. Leaving traces, on paper, online, builds up over time. This has been going well for me this year, I'm finding no shortage of themes to explore. If in doubt, I just look back over the years, pick up on an idea I've not yet covered this year, and expand upon it from the perspective of how my thinking on the subject has become clearer or more nuanced since first writing it here.

Capturing insights as they come to your mind is crucial. Brainwaves can come from deep thought, but they can also come spontaneously, which Christians tend to call the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Ideas, answers, insights, can also come as answers to prayer - a proactive form of meditation in which you are seeking divine guidance or inspiration. Right now, sitting at the keyboard, it feels easy to catch the flow, the vibe, as it passes through. But the notebook is crucial for when I'm out of home, walking or travelling.

And so it happened today, passing through Zgorzała, I saw a sticker on a car that triggered a train of thought that formed the inspiration for what I will write tomorrow. This time, I was ready for it - out came the notebook, pen and reading glasses, and with a handful of words I've captured what it is I want to set out. But that will be for tomorrow.

This time last year:
Will we ever discover what's inside an atom?

This time two years ago:
Time - religion and metaphysics

This time six years ago:
Easter Everywhere, Lent reaches an end

This time ten years ago:
Sunset shots, first bike ride to work

This time 12 years ago:
Poland's trains ran faster before the war

This time 13 years ago:
Winter in spring: surely this must be the last snow?

This time 14 years ago:
Surely THIS must be the last snow?