These 3 Things

I noticed that I haven’t mistakenly written 2024 in place of 2025 this week, which is unusual for me. In previous years, last years date rolls through my hand for weeks, but I really feel I closed the book on last year to firmly step into a new year. I want to share three things that came together in 2024 to bring remarkable clarity for 2025.

  1. Morning Pages
  2. End of day journaling
  3. My year in photo’s

I began experimenting with Morning Pages in 2021, but didn’t fully commit to the practice until 2022 and have an accordion folder that holds 2 years worth of pages categorized by month. Once the folder was full, I purchased a pretty box to collect them in because I can recall snippets of the year, but Morning Pages capture every incredulous thought. It’s the subconscious falling to the page first thing in the morning. I rarely write all 3 pages, which is the rule, but always complete at least one because one is better than none.

At the end of 2022, I purchased a notebook to use as a journal that you can see here, but waited until 2023 to begin using it. It has a good summary of that year, but the entries were sporadic. There’s a few entries from each month what looks to be a minimum of once a week, so in midyear of 2024, I made a commitment to end of day journaling. It wasn’t perfect, but starting in July there’s an entry almost every evening, then by October there’s just a couple of pages pertaining to each month for the remainder of the year. The entries are brief, around 5 sentences, or a good paragraph to end the day.

My year in photo’s is my favorite experience, but it began as a gift for my daughter. The idea was to give her a photo book of our year together and there’s not one photo of a human in it. It’s a collection of moments, things that were meaningful to us at the time with handwritten notes, or short stories throughout. I loved making it and learned so much that I wanted to do it again, but better.

I spent time online in search of a photo album I wanted to use. The first one was just a small, linen covered album from a local craft store, but if I wanted to make one every year, there was criteria. I wanted it to look like a book, because that’s essentially what it is and found this one here that checked all the boxes. The wording in French and the album being named, ‘Iconic’ collection, are bonuses in my mind! Plus, I can order a different color for each year!

These three things add value to my life, but it took time for them to join forces in becoming an integral part of my daily living. When it comes to reviewing my life in yearly increments, it’s covered by these three things.

Feature Photo by LUM3N on Unsplash


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14 responses to “These 3 Things”

  1. Very interesting, Barb. I also find it interesting that it seems to be a relationship of 3. That number often seems to be important in landscaping, the Trinity. Maybe it is important in our emotional and creative and spiritual landscaping too? (hey, look at me, a long comment!)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Gary for your kind words and lengthy comment! 😂 I agree with you about the spiritual relationship of numeral, 3, and also like to think of it as a solid foundation. You remember the 3-legged stools we used to have? They only had 3 legs, but were spread far enough apart to make it stable seating. 💖

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      1. Yes, I remember that stool. I used one to train our lion when I was a kid. Our lion looked a lot like a kitty cat and was not amused.

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      2. 😂 You crack me up, Gary!

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      3. Hey Barb, I was out hitting some golf balls at the driving range this afternoon and as I got ready to leave, I thought of another example of the mystical nature of 3 – keys, phone, wallet/purse…. It is like my mantra every time I go from place to place, along with my hand moving from pocket to pocket as if some sort of weird blessing.

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  2. At our local post office in our tiny town there is a free lending library! A few shelves where locals can bring or pick up used books. I just happen to pick up a well-worn copy of Julia Cameron‘s book called “the artist way”. If I am not mistaken, she is the originator of the idea of morning pages. I’d like to think this is a wonderful synchronicity! I also love the idea of the photo albums that you have found and created. Thank you so much for another great post!

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    1. Hi Patty! I think our small town library offers that too, but we also have lending libraries in front of a few houses in the hood. I’ve often thought of installing one myself, but my street is pretty quiet, so not sure it would be found.

      Ahhhh….The Artist’s Way is going to feed your soul. Julia is one of my favorite writers and I have a lot of her books, so if you ever need one, please let me know. I’m happy to mail it to you. Her books are like a drink of water to my creativity and one of the things she’s going to ask of you is to write Morning Pages. (She is the creator)

      I LOVE the photo album and I’m happy you enjoyed this post. Thank you, as always, for your love and support. 💖

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  3. Love the photo book. You truly are the best picker! ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, lovely! Hah…lots of trial and error. 💖

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  4. I love all three and appreciate you sharing them. The photo books spoke to my heart as I try to capture so much each year for my 20-something kids just as I did when they were younger. Yours is a tradition your daughter will appreciate forever!♥️

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    1. It’s my pleasure and thank you, lovely. When I was a kid, my Mama had photo albums, but to understand the photos, she needed to sit with me while I asked, “Who’s this?”, throughout it’s entirety. They were full of photos of relatives, but these books are photos anyone can understand and enjoy looking at. The photos display the path of that year, such as my favorite coffee at the time and favorite flowers in the yard. My daughter will appreciate them, but anyone can enjoy them. 💖

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About Me

Grab a warm cuppa and cozy up to inbarbsworld. I’m Barb, the writer behind this blog and I share through a clear, simple lens. I’ve lived a life filled with everything that money could buy, but in 2014 I left that life to feel myself living. Now, I know what abundance truly is and it can’t be bought.

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