When I first purchased my Dartmouth-green, leatherbound journal from Staples nine months ago, I did not imagine that it would become my best friend. It was an impulsive purchase, inspired by the junk journaling hysteria on my TikTok For You Page. Last summer, I devotedly wrote and scrapbooked in my journal with the hope that I would eventually dive back into the life I was living. From Fourth of July polaroids to ripped receipts from a December trip to Prague, I stuffed the pages with a lifetime’s worth of feeling.
Since then, this journal has traveled with me to two continents. Squished into backpacks and overstuffed totes, it’s been the best listener I have ever known. Its cream-colored pages have heard the play-by-plays of awkward first dates, have consoled me through disastrous mornings in Madrid and welcomed ten-page rants without so much as a raised eyebrow.
The world never pauses. We are constantly moving, rushing from class to catch-up meal to night out. We move through every day like robots pre-programmed to do and not think. To sink down into the worn cushion of my soft, blue desk chair every night and pull my overflowing journal from my drawer is the greatest luxury. As I uncap my pen and spill my most introspective and private thoughts into a journal that never judges, I remember that reflection is an act of self-preservation. Some nights I write in half-sentences, in marginal doodles, in taped-in lipstick-stained napkins and ticket stubs. My journal does not ask for anything more than that; it simply requests that I show up.
Here, there are no mistakes. This journal does not care if I forget a comma or can’t remember what day it is. Here, I am allowed contradictions. I can be overflowing with joy while simultaneously lamenting about the stressful days ahead. These pages, which have accompanied me on an almost year-long journey of growth, are a mirror of who I am slowly becoming.
If you, like me, find yourself caught up in the minutia of everyday life and are looking for a momentary pause, I hope you find your mirror. Whether it’s a journal, a Post-it or your notes app, carve out that space that makes you feel like you can say anything and be anyone without second-guessing yourself.
This week in Mirror, we take a moment to reflect on what is important to us. In a new column dedicated to relationship advice, two writers emphasize the importance of self-respect. One writer sits down with OPAL assistant director Lindsay Emmons to discuss the necessity of women and gender-advising spaces on campus. Another writer ranks coffee shops in Hanover to find the best iced matcha latte in town. A third writer reminisces about her memories at Late Night and how it has changed. A final writer reflects on her last term at Dartmouth and how her two-course term has given her the time to think critically.
Happy Week 4, Mirror! Find time this week to linger in your own thoughts. Write them down when you can, whether they take the form of carefully-crafted paragraphs or scribbles in the margins.
