The Blue Day Journal

If you could ever muster the courage, what are five crazy things that you’ve always wanted to do before you get too old and crusty?  Eat snails, wear leather pants to work, drive a racing car, get a tattoo, join a circus…

1. Sing in Public
2. Dress like its Halloween all month long
3. Drive across the US
4. Re-Create my family tree
5. See a play in Broadway

Those were the first things that popped into my mind.

I have this journal that I got as a gift, when I first started therapy for my bipolar condition.  My therapist gave it to me after learning that I suffered from bouts of depression, it’s called “The Blue Day Journal.” This journal has a lot of silly pictures and writing prompts and the aim is for me to pull it out when I am feeling blue and write in it or do something from the endless lists of fun.  I got it over ten years ago and I still love turning back to it, even though my bouts with depression are very rare now.  I have lists on my favorite movies, favorite places, places I’d like to visit, favorite books, adventures I would like to take, people I would love to meet…

This morning I was looking at my list of things I want to try before I get to old and most of the things on my list I have already done.  The five above are still waiting to be tackled.  It’s good to have silly goals, no matter how old we get- life is so full of memories to be made and dreams waiting to come true.  I like turning back to my little "Blue Day Journal" to both recall some of the silliness I have lived and to remind myself that there’s still so much to life that I still need to experience.  Sometimes in the fast rhythm of life with its impacted schedules and long work hours- we need reminders to stop and live a little.

When we are young we are constantly motivated to make goals, but as we get older we stop thinking about them.  Is there a day we all reach when we stop dreaming?  I hope not.  In my "Blue Day Journal" I make lists of things so that when I am having a difficult day I can try to push myself out of it with a delightful diversion.  It’s a way of knowing that life is full of things that I love and enjoy- even when I feel pessimistic.  I even have a list of the people that I love to talk to who always make me laugh, offer a hug or listening ear.  As adults I think many of us, myself included, need to look back at our inner child and hold onto those things that we admire in us as children.  One being the ability to dream both big and small.