If My Brain Were a Book

Anyone close to me knows that I always carry a little pocket book for keeping notes. I pull it out frequently, and my notes cover as many topics as I can find myself interested in. (It’s a lot) It helps me sort out my life. Sometimes I draw in it, others I write interesting facts about people I’ve met. Sometimes I find a good place to watch people, and I write down my observations. I’ve only kept this book since last September, but it’s already become a part of me.

Any time I leave the house, I pat my pockets and go through my mental checklist. There are four items I must have on me: My keys, my wallet, my phone, and my book. I recognize that I could probably use my phone to keep notes, but that never works for me. Having a physical book is different. It makes me feel more committed to adding to it. Something about the physicality of it makes it feel more real, more substantial.

In the few short months since obtaining my book, I’ve found it vastly useful and can’t imagine how I got by without it previously. In many ways, it is an extension of my mind. Without it, I am missing a piece of myself.

I thought it might be fun to flip to a few random pages, and share what I’ve written. I’m not sure what will come of it, but here it goes, enjoy:

• Dec. 8, 2023 “When you set an expectation try to meet it or people will experience dissonance. You can apply this in writing, but also in day to day life. Make a commitment–keep it!”
• Jan. 16, 2024 “The fearsome… Snagabreath!”
• Feb. 3, 2024 “The blurs are days and the slip times by.”
• Jan. 14, 2024 “That does not mean we are forgotten, but, perhaps, it means it’s a way we learn.”
• Feb. 6, 2024 “Thoughts, like seeds, only grow when watered. Carefully choose which thoughts to grow, or they will be chosen for you.”
• Oct. 19, 2023 “When singing, you should feel your jaw sort of unhinge at the ear if you want a full open sound.”
• Sept. 20, 2023 “Scene is cinematic – it shows, exposition tells. Both parts are useful tools. To determine which to use, consider the audience.”

Of course, these are only the more sensical things I’ve written. In between the entries are various scribbles, random notes, and a few strange markings that I can not remember the meaning of. As I said, this book is like an extension of my mind. That causes me to wonder, if my mind were a book, what would it look like?