It is no secret to regular readers that autumn is my favorite season, one reflected by the above photo taken by my wife the other day. And one reason I think the seasons in general are so special is that they invite one to reflect upon changes in one’s life and even to record said reflections, perhaps in some type of journal. This blog is a journal of sorts, albeit one typically focused upon minimalist concepts.

In the more traditional sense, I wrote in a leather-bound journal during the pandemic years in order to make sense of the craziness while chronicling our time of living at a lighthouse. However, my favored mode of notetaking is a simple Moleskine, in which I jot quotes, verses, excerpts, and random ideas that I want to remember. I also have some Blackwing sketchbooks in which I aspire to actually sketch one day.

On the reading front, I recently finished gleaning highlights from the journals of none other than Henry David Thoreau. Some noted gems include this one: “Methinks my seasons revolve more slowly than those of nature; I am differently timed. I am contented. This rapid revolution of nature, even of nature in me, why should it hurry me? Let a man step to the music which he hears, however measured.”

Other excerpts include this entry: “Perhaps this is the main value of a habit of writing, of keeping a journal—that so we remember our best hours and stimulate ourselves. My thoughts are my company,” and this one: “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”

And as former New York Times travel writer Stephanie Rosenbloom writes in her book Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasure of Solitude, “Speaking of practices, I began jotting down those that, through cities and seasons, helped make my alone time rich and meaningful: snapshotting the moment, trying new things, being present, being playful, communing with art, cultivating anticipation, finding silence, rolling with whatever comes, walking, listening, reminiscing, remembering that everything is fleeting.” Cheers to that!