The Stationary Section

Hey friends, before you get started I have to tell you something. I wrote this post maybe a month ago and swore to myself I wouldn’t post it. Looks like I got desperate. I’m taking a little break from writing this week so I figured I would settle for this. 

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I have a problem and I know that I’m probably not the only one who faces this. When I go to any store when I’m just wasting time, I find myself going to the stationary section. Before I know it, I have three or four notebooks in my hands and I’m trying decide which will be the best for whatever project I’m going to assign it to. And maybe you’re thinking that isn’t a problem. I clearly will be using this notebook to help me stay organized and productive, right? WRONG!

I buy these notebooks all the time and they’re always very pretty and nice to look at. This is where things go wrong. Because these notebooks are so nice, I don’t want to mess them up. I don’t have the best handwriting and I always occasionally misspell things. I just can’t have that in my new perfect notebook can I? Of course not!

The most recent purchase I made was in the beginning of summer when I went to Target with my family. Earlier that day I had decided that I absolutely had to have a journal for my poetry because up until this point I was using my old Five Star notebook that I bought a few years ago. The same one that I promised myself I would use to write a novel in. (Spoiler alert: that never happened) As I’m browsing through the isle trying to find the perfect notebook I see a few that I begin to fall in love with. One was a shiny black, hard cover notebook and the other was a tan canvas-like hard cover with a gold anchor on it. Call me a hipster if you want, I don’t care. This was a tough decision and I was there for quite some time.

So I went there for a reason, as I’ve established, and that usually means I’m safe from this little problem I have. Not this time though. I had picked out my journal finally (the anchor one, obviously) and I see this journal filled with writing prompts. At that moment I remember how I told my best friend I wanted to get her something similar but this one was way more her style. It was more sleek and the writing prompts seemed more up her alley. I made the decision on a whim to buy that journal for her to help with her creativity.  I mean, not to toot my own horn or anything but I was an awesome friend. I really liked the idea and I would have loved if someone gave me that journal. Plus, I like reading almost anything she writes so it was like a no brainer!

So I guess I have two problems. One, I buy notebooks I don’t need and then two, I don’t even use them! By now I’m sure you’ve figured it out but I still have yet to use my new notebook. it’s still in pristine condition. You wouldn’t even be able to tell I’ve had it more than a day. I always find myself reaching for my phone to jot down ideas or my trusty old worn out Five Star. It’s a vicious cycle.

Alas, we’ve made it to the point of the blog where I wrap up the last few paragraphs with a lesson to be learned or a motivational statement or a call to action. Occasionally I tell you that I don’t know what inspired this. I know what it was though this time. I saw a short video of a girl flipping through her journal in which she has written a poem everyday this year and I said to myself I MUST have that. I even went so far as to find out where to find this notebook to send a link to my mom so she knew I wanted that for Christmas this year. That’s when I realized I have a problem. When you realize you have a problem, the best thing to do is acknowledge it. I think. I’m not like an expert or anything.

(Ps mom if you’re reading this. Don’t get me a notebook unless I actually start using my current one.)