28 January-01 February 2013 5-Day Journaling Retreat

Welcome to a 5-Day Journaling Retreat. This week is meant to help us focus more on our journaling and taking time to refresh.

Let me start by saying, it does not have to be these dates for you to take part in a 5-Day Journaling Retreat. Take one whenever you can and read these notes and instructions.

Ideally, we will be out of town. However, how likely is this? If, however, we have put it on our calendar 5-years out, we might be able to be out of town, holed up somewhere, enjoying journaling for fives days and nights.

I put it on my calendar and have it planned out even more than 5 years in advance, but that doesn’t mean I can afford to get out of town whenever I desire. Also, there are some obligations I have to meet at times. But, I can take those 5 days off of work.

And, if I cannot, then, this is what I can do--and I assume most of you reading this are in the same boat. So, here is what you do:
~ What is the average amount of time you spend journaling each day? Make sure to journal more than that the next 5 days. At a minimum, you will journal for at least an hour longer than you normally do--and do so for the next 5 days. Ask your family to give you the time. Do not answer emails, do not answer your cell, and ignore all social media as well during the time you journal.
~ Journal how much you can.
~ Journal when you can.
~ Do this for 5 days.
~ It does not have to be these specific dates that I am writing for this retreat. Pick any 5 you can.

A SELF-PACED RETREAT
See the previous paragraph.

WHAT DO YOU JOURNAL FOR 5-DAYS?
1 See the section below for some suggestions. Read EACH of the links, please. And, do as many of them as possible. Also, make sure, no matter what, you add the journaling retreat suggestions made on your calendars/in your planners for at least the next 5 years.

2 Journal about anything you want.

3 Write about 5 memories at least and get as much on the page about them. That’s one per day for 5 days.

4 Do at least 10 items on your Future Journaling List--that’s two per day for 5 days.

5 What is something that keeps coming to your mind? Write about that.

6 Write about your plans for this week, this month, the next 3 months, the next 6 months, the next year, the next 5 years, the next 10 years, the next 20 years, the next 25 years, and beyond.

7 HOW are you? Write about this.

8 How is your journaling coming along? What are you getting out of it? What do you hope to get out of it this week, this month, the next 3 months, the next 6 months, the next year, the next 5 years, the next 10 years, the next 20 years, the next 25 years, and beyond.

9 Review your journaling and do this link:
http://storykeeper2121.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-of-your-journaling-with.html

JOURNALING RETREAT SUGGESTIONS
Take a look at these blog posts and apply to a 5-day journaling retreat:

~ http://storykeeper2121.blogspot.com/2012/11/journaling-retreat.html

~ http://storykeeper2121.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-journaling-retreat-part-2.html

~http://storykeeper2121.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-storykeeper-odyssey-journaling.html

~http://storykeeper2121.blogspot.com/2012/12/another-memory-snapshot-or-mining-your.html

~http://storykeeper2121.blogspot.com/2012/12/journaling-retreat-stirring-up-memories.html

ARE YOU PARTICIPATING?
It does not matter when--January of 2013 or November 2050, please let me know if you are participating in this retreat.

For those of you who are participating in January 2013, I would love to dialogue with you at the Journaling & Storykeeping Google + Community, or on blog post comments.

ENJOY!

~ Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Memoir Writer