When my thoughts are kept to myself, I'm rarely amused. But give me an audience, and suddenly I'm able to articulate my thoughts in a way that pleases me and--in some small way--constructively contributes to society. A few weeks ago I thumbed through a journal I kept religiously during my Freshman year at BYU. Quite frankly, I was appalled at how boring my entries were. I thought, "If I were my great grandson, I wouldn't want to read this!" This deficiency in adequately capturing memories in writing I attribute to my lack of audience. I was under the impression that no one would ever see my journal, so I never bothered to put thought into the way I preserved my history.
It's still very possible I will never publish these words, but I feel that at least the illusion of an audience will stimulate creativity in expressing myself. That way, a decade down the road I won't detest the dullness I would have used to describe moments that were actually quite colorful.
Ever since I read Kathryn Stockett's The Help, I've been fascinated by Aibileen Clark, who wrote down all her prayers. Her habit haunted me as a senior in high school, a freshman in college, and for two more years serving as a missionary in Ukraine. Although I don't plan on writing down every prayer or introspective thought that wells up inside me, I do wish to follow Aiblileen's example of thoughtfulness. And hopefully, through that level of thoughtfulness I can better organized my thoughts and feelings, and better align my will with Father's will. Is that not the purpose of prayer?
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