into the journal: olivia cifaldi
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This feature series examines how and why people journal, because no two practices are identical. Appreciating the journal as a sacred inner world for uninhibited wandering and wondering.
If you have a journaling practice that you’d like to share about here, email me at evapberezovsky(at)gmail(dot)com.
olivia cifaldi
Who am I? Good question. Today, I am a mother, a dreamer, and co-owner of Harvesting Magic. You can find out more on this project at mushroomhoney.com.
origins & purpose
I should come clean here — I don’t journal, exactly. *Gasp.* I have found that letter writing is more my style. Do I send the letters? Rarely. But the practicality of having an “audience” in mind helps flush out my thoughts.
I started doing this regularly when my dream analyst suggested I write to my not-yet-born son in order to connect. Those letters are my most cherished. I hope they’ll be cherished by him one day, too.
In general, I find that writing letters to loved ones, even if never sent, is freeing for my emotions.
language
I call my entries “letters,” regardless of if I send them. I like to envision the person I’m addressing reading it and getting something out of the time it took.
medium & material
Most of my letters live in my phone (in my Notes app), and then a select few get mailed, so I don’t have a very physical collection. I do love organizing the letters in my Notes app, though.
I hope to have more of a ritual around this one day, and the utensils I’ll manifest = great natural paper stationery with a cheap fountain pen. (They just write better and made me feel fancy in grade school.)
rereading
It’s such a release just to write — I rarely look back on any letters I keep around. I did, however, recently come across a book in our local bookstore titled Syme’s Letter Writer and enjoyed reading a few collections of other people’s correspondences. And sometimes I do write letters to my future self, which I love looking back on.
love letters
I believe that love letters hold the love that drove them long after the letters are sent and the relationship is gone. Reading through letters that were sent hundreds of years ago gives such insight into the inner workings of how we think and feel. It inspires me to write things down to preserve the energy of my own thoughts and feelings.
travel routine
When I travel alone, I write postcards to my husband (via email since actual cards would arrive after I return home) and recap my day and any insights I had. It’s a practice that certainly picks up when my life is a little more exciting than the day-to-day.