Meg Dowell Writes

LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!!!!!!!!!

That’s right, my friends–I finished it! All 400 massive pages are filled with my words. My thoughts, my feelings, my stresses, messes, and triumphs. It’s the greatest feeling in the world to finish writing in a journal. It always makes me feel accomplished. And then I flip through all of the pages, admire the pretty color(s), and put it in a pile with the rest of my word-filled journals. And then I pull out my next one. It’s so exciting!

This journal is so small compared to the giant 400-page one my cousins gave me for singing in their wedding this past summer. I never thought I would manage to fill the darn thing so fast! It only took me about six months. When you think about it, that’s like NOTHING. That just goes to show how insane I am, and how addicted to writing I am. Its kind of sad…and, at the same time, kind of awesome.

Speaking of paper….(even though we weren’t really talking about paper specifically, were we?)

Have you ever thought of what paper would say if it could talk? I bet you all of the money in my pocket that it would say, “Stop it! That tickles!” But either way you just lost, because I don’t have any money in my pocket. It’s all in my piggy bank. That and my bank account, which I haven’t taken money out of in ever. Saving money is fun to me. Whenever I do spend money, usually it’s my parents’ money. I might as well enjoy that privilege while it still exists, don’t you think?

I feel the same way about food. In my opinion, food is a luxury. Here’s my philosophy. If I have the ability to eat junk food every day and not gain any weight while I’m a youngster, I’m going to take advantage of this, because I know that it won’t be the case once I get older. So I’m going to enjoy eating my dark chocolate and doughnuts while I can. That’s just what you have to do. What’s the point of going on diets when you’re young? Then you miss out on all the good stuff, like brownies and fudge and birthday cake.

The theme today seems to be paper.

What if we were made of paper? Would we blow away in the wind? Would that mean that we were lighthearted and carefree, or would that cause problems? It all depends on how you view the wind. Some find it pesky and annoying. Others find it soothing, like the ocean breeze that carries the smells of the beach to your nasal cavity when you haven’t even gotten close to the sand yet.

I personally find the wind mysterious. It whispers. The wind carries secrets in its depths. If you listen, you can hear it. It’s meant to guide you. Walking against the wind is annoying, right? It makes your eyes water and blows your hair all over the place. So walk in the direction of the wind, and you’ll be all good.

Or, you could end up lost. So maybe you should just follow your heart instead.

One more question before I go. There are no right or wrong answers.

If a black cat sits under a ladder, is it double bad luck, or does the bad luck cancel itself out?

I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.