Can I offer you a nice hobby in this trying time?

on the joys of bullet journaling & why I think everyone should give it a try :)

Bullet journaling had always appealed to me, but my frugality and fear of imperfection always held me back in the past. I didn’t want to spend money on a more expensive dotted journal if I couldn’t fill it with perfect pictures, dainty hand lettering, and gorgeous drawings. I opted to use spiral bound or composition notebooks instead, the cheaper the better. It didn’t need to be fancy, just something with a cover that could house my innermost thoughts.

And then, towards the end of 2022, I was thrifting with my mom and sisters when I found a knock-off Moleskin, still wrapped in cellophane, amongst the rows of books at Goodwill. I tucked it into the cart thinking I’d use it as a regular ol’ journal.

But then I returned to Minnesota and I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to actually try my hand at bullet journaling. The journal was free (thanks mom!) so the stakes were low. I wanted a distraction from the chaos of my life at the time and simultaneously I needed to document what was happening in a way that sparked more joy than anxiety.

Each weekend, I’d put on some trash reality television show for background noise and got to work filling the pages with random lists, collages using little pictures of book covers I cut out from the free flyers I snagged from the library, and spreads of photos I’d printed from my camera reel throughout the year. I quickly fell in love with bullet journaling. It was time I could spend alone, processing my emotions and decompressing from stress¹. Creating something from nothing filled me with contentment. Most importantly, bullet journaling helped me practice gratitude for the smaller things in life.

For almost two years now, I’ve kept track of daily delights², the small joys I encounter that bring magic to the mundane. I’ve found that it has made me more present within my day to day life. It has helped me find silver linings in even the most dooziest of days—sure I spent 11 hours bouncing between 4 different nursing facilities³, but the activities department was passing out free root beer floats and I saw six eagles on my commute! Life’s not all bad.

Delights from September 2023 ◡̈

One of my favorite things about bullet journaling is that it is a low-cost hobby. All you really need is a journal and a writing utensil. Do not let social media fool you into thinking you need to drop a bunch of money on fancy pens, sticker sheets, and dozens of rolls of washi tape. You can make a journal spread look beautiful with what you already have within your home. Old magazines and junk mail, receipts and ticket stubs—you can repurpose them into something fun within your journal if you just get creative.

This meme is made from a still shot from a scene from the tv series, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In the original scene, Frank (played by Danny Devito), holds out an egg and says, “Can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time?” This is a very niche meme, but I wanted to give you context for the title lolz ◡̈

I know how easy it is to be overwhelmed by the brokenness of the world. I know how hard it is to find the light amid the darkness. Can I offer you a nice hobby in this trying time? Documenting what is happening within you and around the globe helps, getting lost within a creative outlet helps, and bullet journaling has certainly helped me get through it all.

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I can’t end this newsletter without urging you to continue to take action to make this world a better place. Pick up your phone and call your state representatives, boycott companies who continue to fund Israel’s ongoing bombings and military attacks on innocent civilians, read books/listen to podcasts/watch videos to learn about the history of the Palestinian people, organize within your community, be brave and speak up about the genocide in Palestine, Congo, Sudan, & beyond that is being live-streamed to us. Our struggles are connected. There is power when we band together to fight for what’s best for humanity.

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1. In January 2023, we were anxiously awaiting Ben’s stem cell treatment in Colombia. I was working a job I mostly hated, and I was heavily considering fleeing the field of speech pathology. I was a ball of nerves always.

2. This was inspired by poet Ross Gay. I haven’t read The Book of Delights *yet* but it’s high on my list.

3. Did I mention that I was deeply unhappy at my previous job?