The Earth Journal

An introduction to the first chapter <3

(Illustration by me)

I never quite know where to begin for these things, or with anything really. To me, beginnings are often much harder than the ending. The middle? Well, that's the bumpy ride we are all quite familiar with. But I want my little letters to delve into this renown rollercoaster of life, and not just complain and compare, but to rather analyse and even, in the face of pessimism itself, appreciate.  In doing so, I aim to mould this cosy corner of the internet into a journal of sorts- hence the title of course. The Earth being the centre of it all. 

To begin with. Earth. A noun that encompasses a multitude of meanings; the most obvious being our world, where we live. Home. This isn't exclusively limited to the physical embodiment of Earth. Although, my passions do lie wholeheartedly within nature, sprawled out in a meadow of moss, paired with the subtle smell of sweet grass- just for example. So yes, the environment will play a big part in this story.

But Earth is an umbrella term for all. It stretches from the very corner of a community, to the very edge of a coffee shop; offering cups of kindness and conversation. Earth is anything and everything, all in one. And so what more of a fitting title would this be for a blog dedicated to the entirety of, well, everything. This is rather vague I know, but why would I choose to limit myself with such a tiny and confining category, when I can simply ramble about anything I desire. Life itself shouldn't be categorised so why should we?

At this point, it is most likely that you have found yourself lost or yawning with my copious amounts of waffling. To which I apologise profusely, however I am known for my discombobulating array of ill-fitting words scattered about the page. Don't be fooled, this is my way of decorating sentences as if it were a tree, and the lexicon my tinsel. In other words its my hobby to curl up in front of a thesaurus and hide behind the façade of sophisticated conversation; when in reality this is down to my guilty pleasure in a passion for language (however incomprehensible mine may be oops). The longer the word, the more sounds and syllables it produces; the more beauty I find in it. Silly I know, but what is a more fitting way to celebrate life than romanticize literature?  I just love words.

In the name of beauty itself, I have and forever will intend to seek out the phenomenon of magic within the mundane. But sometimes I get lost myself through distractions and life in general; it means I also miss the small stuff. I often forget to embrace and appreciate the little corners of life. So why not record these observations and put them in a blog? 

If you've ever come across a 'Common Place' book then you will recognise where I gathered the inspiration for this blog from. For those of you who haven't, let me introduce you. Common place books are/and have been well frequented amongst famous writers, especially from the past. Virginia Woolf, for example, once kept a common place book which was most likely home to passages and points of wisdom that aided her in novels such as 'Mrs Dalloway'. So its safe to say that this method of recording information is certified and approved within the writing community.

Okay nice, so what's actually in these books you may ask. Well that's when we get to the fun part. Anything. There are literally no rules as to what you may wish to scribble into this notebook of possibilities. This act of writing whatever you desire in a collection of parchment enriches the world of language and words. And being able to flip back through these pages you have passionately imprinted on; well, it feeds the soul in a ways you wouldn’t begin to imagine. So picture this instead. Perched on a worn bench in a quiet hidden park, with the leaves sweeping across the pavement in the gust of wind. Trees standing above you bare and proud. When a stranger confronts you, armed with nothing but a smile, a book in one hand and a pen in another . They pass these precise objects to you, a supposed gift. Only, to accept such a gift you are instructed to use it wisely. Of course you agree. You open to the first page and behold, a journal addressed to you. Underneath a neatly written entry with the words "To live is to experience life. Write it." Before you know it they have walked away.

So, what will you do? Will you write it? Will you reminisce every mundane moment of magic? A capsule of thoughts and ideas. Compiling an encyclopaedia of our encounters. This isn't just any old simple diary though. This is a time machine, a memory box, a trinket of treasures. You don't even have to succumb to the ordinary day to day recording. Why not step outside the box and tear it down altogether. Accumulate knowledge of the world around you, and most importantly of yourself. Gather quotes, anecdotes, observations, snippets and inspiration from books, conversations, films, song lyrics, poems, podcasts, all forms of media and more. Collect and store life itself and in the process you will discover yourself.