Antiquaria Journal Club | Week Forty-Two

Hey Journal Gang,

Welcome to September - almost! One more day until we’re in the last month of Summer. How did your journaling go last week? Were you able to lean into some of your favorite simple living vibes? We sure hope so, because it seems that a large component of a good life is merely a collection of those lovely low key moments.

Over the past few days we’ve had a shift in the winds here, so to speak; a break in the heat and drought. Last night, the skies were clear for what seemed like the first time in weeks. Somehow the stars shone brighter then before, twinkling and shimmering their greetings. The moon glow enveloped the garden like a satin silver shroud. Beautiful nights. There is now that ever-so-slight hint of fall in the air that creeps out at dusk and vanishes with the morning dew. Subtle, fleeting - but most definitely there! It’s a welcome sensation. 

Something about the cusp of a season change can evoke a lot of memories or a sense of nostalgia. Perhaps it’s a quiet acceptance of letting go of the season's passing and a sense of readiness or excitement for the shift ahead. There’s a bit of a mental transition between Summer and Fall. The world slows a bit, or perhaps becomes a bit more introverted in nature. Attentions, routines, hobbies and goals shift. There are still plenty of warm days ahead..but that little mental shift is there for sure. Do you notice that in yourself around this time of year as well? 

It has us reflecting on this Summer and how so. much. has happened. But also…nothing much? Depending on what perspective you're looking at it from, that is. A strange thing. There are plenty of stressful things to mentally catalog, but we wondered…what were the personal highlights of the summer? To be honest, the list is shorter - or at least different - than it would normally be. But that’s ok. We’ve all done our best under the circumstances and there were definitely some good moments to be had, especially along the lines of the ‘simple living’ mentality.

So, what were your highlights for the Summer? What were the hardest moments? How did you grow, what did you learn? What do you look forward to next Summer? Take a few moments in your journal this week and reflect on what all the sunny days meant to you this year.

Remember: So far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You’re doing great.

Keep on the Sunny Side and Happy Journaling,
xoxo

The Antiquaria Team 

Antiquaria Journal Club | Week Forty

Hey Journal Gang, 

Were you able to dive into your toolkit and channel some creativity last week? We had so much fun letting all of our washi and supplies guide our journaling experiences. It’s always so interesting to see what comes together when you let the materials inspire you! There are so many cool and unique tapes, stickers, stamps and writing instruments out there. Endless inspiration. Did you find a theme coming through on your page? 

Themes..if there was a ‘theme’ for your Summer this year, what would it look like? Ours would be different than a typical Summer, but there have still been some bright moments and progress along the way. That said, we can’t help but let our minds wander towards what lies ahead in the traditional comforts of the Fall season. Here in Colorado, there have been wildfires, temps in the 90s, and we desperately in need some rain. This makes the crisp chill of Fall more alluring than ever. There are still unknowns and hesitations about the end of this year..with the pandemic, schools back in session and the election looming. Lots of uncertainty to be found. Still, the days will cool, the Fall harvests and flavors will start appearing as our hemisphere winds down and shifts towards winter. Perhaps we can find moments of comfort and normalcy along the way. We remain hopeful.

What are you looking forward to about Fall? What are you concerned about? What are your favorite aspects of the season? Do you have an annual Autumn activity you always look forward to? What is your food of the season? 

When the heat is hot…find some comfort in your sweater weather daydreams.

Happy Journaling!
xoxo
The Antiquaria Team

Antiquaria Journal Club | Week Twenty-One

Hey Journal Gang!

How did having a daily or weekly mantra work out for you last week? It’s wild how grounding or motivating a short phrase can be! What was your stand out mantra or thought for the week? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to know so we can add it to our mental mantras repertoire too.

This week we’re going back to basics, with a throwback to our very FIRST week of Journal Club: reflecting on the highlights of our days. An oldie but a goodie! With life and routines essentially turned upside down right now for most, we’re all finding new rhythms and trying to settle into a new temporary normal. It’s a strange thing! But with the unexpected comes unexpected opportunities as well. Opportunities to experience the day from a new perspective. It will be interesting to contrast our journal entries from the very first week of Journal Club to now and see how our days have evolved with the change of circumstances and passage of time. SO so much has happened in this wild ride that is 2020 so far. Despite all the craziness, we hope you are finding silver linings and unexpected small joys in your days. Search for the magic in each day, and live that moment again through your journaling! Sounds good to us.

One highlight of our week that we’ve been really missing is our Journal Club meetup in the shop each Tuesday! It was always a bright spot, and an engaging way to start out the week and get together with our awesome Journal Club Gang. We’re working on getting a virtual meetup going (yay!) and will share the details on how to join in, hopefully by next week. Can’t wait!

Stay Safe, Be Well and Happy Journaling!

xoxo
The Antiquaria Team