When I was in middle school, I used to write in my journal every single day. I still love to look back at my entries and relive all of the funny, sometimes angst-filled preteen memories. My journaling fell by the wayside as I grew older and started feeling a little too busy to write. When I began dating my husband, we both agreed that it would be wonderful to start writing down some of the things we did together every day; we knew our relationship was special and we didn’t want to forget some of the littler, yet still very special moments. I bought a journal for us on our first anniversary, and probably wrote in it about five times before that, too, was forgotten in the midst of all our busyness.

I still really would love to still keep a journal, because I think it’s important to remember my life and be able to look back and see exactly what I did on specific days throughout the years. I’d also love for my family in the future to be able to read about my life. Yet, the idea of writing down all of my experiences and thoughts and feelings every day still seems so daunting, if only for the amount of time it could take each day.

My resolution for this year, and coming years: Make journaling doable, by committing to write only two sentences a day. That’s right, two sentences: First, a sentence about what I did that day. Second, a sentence stating one positive thing that happened to me. It will be my simple, realistic way of documenting my life, while improving my outlook by remembering all of the good things that are happening. That means finding the hidden blessings in my life, even when things don’t seem to be going my way.

Have you been wanting to start journaling, without quite finding the time to do it? Why not try the “Cheeseburger Challenge” yourself? Two simple sentences a day is so doable, yet so effective. Let’s do this together!

Love, Hope, & Prayers,

Justine Duppong