As the new year unfolds, many of us choose a word to guide our journey through the coming months. This year, I’ve chosen the word “tend” – a simple yet profound term that carries layers of meaning perfect for my goal of developing a deeper journaling practice.
The Rich Tapestry of “Tend”
The etymology of “tend” reveals a fascinating convergence of two Latin roots: “tendere” (to stretch or extend) and “attendere” (to stretch toward). Over centuries, these meanings merged to create the multifaceted word we use today. When we tend to something, we’re both directing our attention and providing care – exactly what we do when we open our journals and begin to write.
Journaling as a Way of Tending
Think of your journal as a garden of thoughts, emotions, and aspirations. Just as a garden requires consistent care and attention, our inner world needs regular tending. Through journaling, we create a space where we can:
Observe Our Patterns
By writing regularly, we begin to notice what we “tend to do” in various situations. Our journal becomes a mirror reflecting our habits, reactions, and recurring themes in our lives. This awareness is the first step toward intentional growth.
Care for Our Inner Landscape
Just as a gardener nurtures their plants, journaling allows us to tend to our emotional and mental well-being. We can prune away negative thought patterns, plant seeds of new ideas, and water the roots of our dreams and aspirations.
Direct Our Growth
The directional aspect of “tend” reminds us that our journal writing can help guide our personal development. Each entry is like a compass, helping us tend toward our true north.
Creating a Tending Practice
My commitment this year is to develop a journaling practice that truly tends to my needs. This means:
- Setting aside dedicated time each day to write
- Creating a comfortable and inviting space for reflection
- Approaching my journal with the patience of a gardener, knowing that growth takes time
- Using prompts that help me explore different aspects of self-care and personal development
- Reviewing my entries periodically to observe patterns and progress
The Seasonal Nature of Journaling
Like a garden, our journaling practice may go through different seasons. There will be times of abundant writing and insight, periods of quiet reflection, and moments when we need to let thoughts lie fallow. The key is to tend to our practice consistently, even if the form it takes varies.
Looking Forward
As I embark on this year of intentional tending through journaling, I’m excited to discover the ways this practice will help me grow. I invite you to consider how you might use journaling to tend to your own inner garden. What seeds will you plant? What growth will you nurture? What wisdom will you harvest?
Through regular writing, we can create a beautiful cycle of self-discovery and care. By tending to our thoughts and feelings on paper, we learn to better tend to ourselves in daily life. And isn’t that what personal growth is all about?
What word will guide your journaling practice this year? How will you tend to your inner garden through writing?