Write It Down Or It Never Happened

Captain William Clark decided to climb a large rock outcropping next to the Yellowstone River in what would become the state of Montana. Pulling out his long knife he carved into the rock his name and the date, July 26, 1806. Writing was not uncommon to Clark. In this case it was the rock as his tablet that was unusual.

For more than two years as the Corps of Discovery travelled from St. Louis to the shores of the Pacific the men had been writing down all they had seen and done. The journals those men wrote today are contained in several volumes. Their words and artifacts are all we know of the journey. Clark’s name on that rock face is today the only physical evidence of their passage through the land.

I once heard a line, “if you don’t write it down it never happened”. Write down a reminder, a brilliant thought or great quote. Write down what you did–what you saw and what you thought. Take notes on your day, your journey and your life.

There is a time when a journal will provide therapy for depression or discouragement. It will help you sort through a time of trouble and to know your mind on a subject.

I don’t expect my journals or writings to achieve the status of Lewis and Clark’s–but that’s not why I record things. I think my reason for writing is to leave a little of my thoughts for my children and grandchildren. Some distant day they may take a moment to pause and read my words to discover what I was all about. To give a view of my distant self may help them chart their own course.

Take notes on your journey. If you don’t there may never be a sign you passed along the trail.