Following the Breadcrumbs
Following is a glimpse into how I sometimes use my journal to put together the seemingly random pieces of information and messages that cross the threshold of my perception.
Last Sunday, shortly after choosing my “cards for the day,” I found myself writing in my journal about the epiphany I’d just had as to how I could honor the memory of my son Karl’s life by engaging in a creative devotional practice – in my case, writing blog posts – “for at least one year (but perhaps 1111 days?),” I wrote. Just the thought of that made my stomach drop.
Where in the world did that cockamamie idea come from? Turned out I’d happened to accidentally click on a post by Seth Godin earlier that morning that had something to do with doing “it” 1000 times. And “it” was writing a blog post.
Seth Godin’s Advice About 1000 Posts
The full title of the post? “The first 1000 are the most difficult.”
“For years I’ve been explaining to people that
daily blogging is an extraordinarily useful
habit. Even if no one reads your blog, the
act of writing It is clarifying, motivating,
and (eventually) fun.”
The date Seth’s blog landed in my inbox? October 31st. Why had I saved that post? And why had I just clicked on it that morning?
Yet Another Clue, Another Breadcrumb
As these connections gained clarity in my mind and I started writing them out in my journal, this happened:
“AND THEN – just NOW (I swear), I couldn’t remember Seth’s last name as I wrote the above paragraph, so I looked in my gmail. Couldn’t find what I’d accidentally clicked on this morning (about the 1000) and I wondered if I deleted it. So I searched “Seth” (to get his last name) and the blog post that appeared first and quite prominently (because its title was at the top of the page, and in bold, because I hadn’t read it) was from November 8th and was entitled “If What You’re Doing Isn’t Working.”
“No shit. Seth’s Blog:
“If what you’re doing isn’t working:
Perhaps it’s time to do something else.
Not a new job, or a new city,
but perhaps a different story.
A story about possibility and sufficiency.
A story about connection and trust.
A story about for and with
instead of at or to.
Bootstrapping your way to a new story about
the world around you is one of the most
difficult things you’ll ever do. Our current
story was built piecemeal, over time, the result
of vivid interactions and hard-fought lessons.
But if that story isn’t getting you where you
need to go, then what’s it for?
It’s entirely possible that the story we tell ourselves
all day every day is true and accurate and useful,
the very best representation of the world as it actually is.
It’s possible, but vanishingly unlikely.
What if we search for a useful story instead?
A story that helps us cause the change we seek
to make in the world, and to feel good doing it.
If you can’t solo bootstrap it, get some help
to install a new story.
It’s worth it.”
After writing this out in my journal just as I did above, I wrote: “Ummm, wow? And as I look back on the search results I see that the “1000” blog post was sent on October 31st. Why in the world did I just see that this morning?? And HOW DID I MISS THE ONE I JUST QUOTED VERBATIM?”
I Have to Give Karl Credit
“Yeah – maybe this is Karl’s way of getting through to me? Asking me to engage in a daily DEVOTION that, by honoring it and my devotion to him and HIS creative life, will open me up to honoring myself and my creative life.
Perhaps this is a new approach to MY story? Is it possible that I just followed some magical breadcrumbs?
If so, THANK YOU. Thank You, Karl, Spirit, my Guides and Guardians. Now please, please help me harness the discipline to engage in this devotion. Hmmm, maybe that’s why JAGUAR was underneath my contrary Dolphin this morning!?”
And that is the way I use journaling to help me follow the magical breadcrumbs in my life.
**It is 11:57 p.m., so please forgive this not being my best effort!