Thursday, October 27, 2011

Cathartic Journaling

Back in the way long ago of my intention to write more consistently in my blog, I talked about an essay about journal writing. It was a really fun discussion about different styles and forms of writing, written by a Louise Plummer for a class she was teaching about different methods of expressing yourself in your journal to make it more interesting to read. I think it's time to investigate suggestion number two...cathartic writing.

Cathartic writing is basically a form of venting on paper. It's blowing off steam or exposing your frustration or challenges in an unapologetic way.

Boy would that make a blog more interesting to read.

Maybe a little too interesting

Here goes...

I have had it with the geniuses who peddle junk to my kids in the checkout line of every grocery store in America! Who thought it would be a good idea to put candy at eye level with toddlers? I want to take that Market Research moron on a shopping trip with me someday. He can push the cart and try to keep track of my wandering, bickering, complaining children while narrowing down the best deals on chicken thighs, enchilada sauce, and fabric softener. Then he can escort one of those kids to the bathroom because they have to go RIGHT NOW and come back to find that a well-meaning employee has now put away all the items you painstakingly had placed in your cart before the unscheduled break. Then he can find a way to satisfy the tastes of 4 different children as you make your cereal selection. While he stands in an endless line of carts waiting for a turn to explain the different headlines your curious 1st grader is asking about from the cover of this month's "Cosmo," I think I will sit and watch while I luxuriously drink a carbonated beverage. I will play a game where I tally the number of times he has tell one of my children "No, you can't buy that!" The final count will be the number of times he will be required to now load all the groceries into my car, and unload and put them away at my house.

There, that feels better.