I’m writing this down for myself and anyone that stumbles upon it and I believe this is the most salient reason: to keep a record. I’ve been meaning to resume writing since I stopped almost twenty years ago. In the intervening time, I have come alive to the pernicious fog that comes from keeping every thought/plan/day in your mind. It’s not just the things you intended to do that you forget, but your motivations, resolve, perspective etc. end up subtly veering off course as well. After a while of this, it starts to feel like you’re losing to time all these parts that made you. I think writing provides an oasis of your own thoughts to refresh you everytime you lose sight.

Writing familiarises you with your experiences, helps you turn them over and reshape them in your mind as you try to fit them into language. It opens you up to new perspectives on things you’re sure you know and gives you the much needed contempt/freedom/familiarity to turn knowledge into wisdom. In this way, I think writing will help with my learning: by providing a way to reflect on my experiences and commit the lessons/patterns I draw from them to heart/mind.

I am also starting this blog because I think it’s a pretty fulfilling way of doing two things I’ve always enjoyed: reading and creating things

I think I’ll keep adding to this post as the reasons become clearer to me.