“The real breakthrough came when I began to work with past writing as a source of insight for present challenges. I would search my archive for entries that might illuminate current growth tasks, and repeatedly found that earlier versions of myself had received exactly the understanding my present self needed.”
I was stunned when I “discovered” this aspect of the matching notebooks (TUL Medium pen here)— the writing of the earlier self holds wisdom in reflection by the current self. It becomes a treasure map!
Thank you, Laura! I appreciate you so much because I never know if people will resonate with this kind of piece.
I love that you've also discovered the treasure map quality of our own archives! There's something almost mystical about how past writing can speak so directly to present needs.
And a fellow consistent materials person! I'm curious how long you've been using the same setup. Something about the familiar feel of the same pen seems to open up deeper channels of reflection for me.
Thank you again for sharing your experience. It's so validating to know that others have stumbled onto this same discovery about the wisdom our past selves leave for us.
The TUL pen came into my life around the time I regained cognition after a brain injury in 2023. I started using Large Hardcover Moleskines then, too. My handwriting evolved as well. I’ll share some photos tomorrow. I rely on this pair of thinking instruments like Gandalf does his Staff. The comfort, the control, the texture of letters are my calm. I found six new pens today while reorganizing my writing room. You’d think I’d found a winning lottery ticket! The thing is, now I think in the writing. Complete sublimation. In conversation I feel I am challenged. If I am being asked to solve a problem or to brainstorm, I say, “Let me write about it, and I’ll get back to you.” Let the magic words roll!
Now I think in the writing. Complete sublimation." Yes! That's exactly it. I've developed the same instinct: when something needs real consideration, it has to happen on the page. When people ask me to brainstorm or solve problems in conversation, I have the same response: "Let me write about it first."
There's something so interesting about how writing becomes the actual medium of thought rather than just recording thoughts. My handwriting changed dramatically after my first major disintegration and hospitalization when I was 21. The physical act of thinking-through-writing transforms along with our inner landscape. I also appreciate TUL pens, by the way. Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts!
This is brilliant. You articulate a subtle process, through the detailed lens of your own personal experience, that describes a journey of growth and transformation through writing. We are blessed that one of your callings is as a researcher. You have data and research that for many writers would be hard to come by.
I took a month to get to this piece because I wanted to give it the time and attention it deserves (I listened to the audio and then read it the old fashioned way). In a way, this is the inverse of the "short attention span," eyeball seeking theatre that predominates these days. And that is a good thing. This is important work for writers and seekers of meaning and beauty. And when I comes from you, we know it possesses value of some depth.
Your "Practical Guidance" framework is now saved or my own reference and to share with others.
Thank you, Chris... in ways that may be hardly noticeable or even invisible to you, work like this changes lives... even saves them.
Eric, thank you for taking a month with this piece, listening to the audio and then reading it the old fashioned way. 🙏
Your observation about the “inverse of short attention span theatre” cuts right to the heart of it. The scale was the actual crucible. And you’re right that the Practical Guidance framework emerged from staying with my own words rather than translating into existing language.
What you said about this work changing lives, even saving them: I carry that with real weight. It’s why I keep doing it even when it would be easier not to. Thank you for witnessing it with such care. ❤️
Thank you, Bea! The growth through constraint piece was hard to write about. It took me years to understand that what felt like limitation was actually the condition that forced me to develop my own authority. I think many of us end up in that position at some point: needing a quality of mentorship or mirroring that simply isn't available in our outer world. Writing became the way I learned to generate internally what I couldn't find externally.
I love this so much. Particularly this:
“The real breakthrough came when I began to work with past writing as a source of insight for present challenges. I would search my archive for entries that might illuminate current growth tasks, and repeatedly found that earlier versions of myself had received exactly the understanding my present self needed.”
I was stunned when I “discovered” this aspect of the matching notebooks (TUL Medium pen here)— the writing of the earlier self holds wisdom in reflection by the current self. It becomes a treasure map!
Thank you, Laura! I appreciate you so much because I never know if people will resonate with this kind of piece.
I love that you've also discovered the treasure map quality of our own archives! There's something almost mystical about how past writing can speak so directly to present needs.
And a fellow consistent materials person! I'm curious how long you've been using the same setup. Something about the familiar feel of the same pen seems to open up deeper channels of reflection for me.
Thank you again for sharing your experience. It's so validating to know that others have stumbled onto this same discovery about the wisdom our past selves leave for us.
The TUL pen came into my life around the time I regained cognition after a brain injury in 2023. I started using Large Hardcover Moleskines then, too. My handwriting evolved as well. I’ll share some photos tomorrow. I rely on this pair of thinking instruments like Gandalf does his Staff. The comfort, the control, the texture of letters are my calm. I found six new pens today while reorganizing my writing room. You’d think I’d found a winning lottery ticket! The thing is, now I think in the writing. Complete sublimation. In conversation I feel I am challenged. If I am being asked to solve a problem or to brainstorm, I say, “Let me write about it, and I’ll get back to you.” Let the magic words roll!
Now I think in the writing. Complete sublimation." Yes! That's exactly it. I've developed the same instinct: when something needs real consideration, it has to happen on the page. When people ask me to brainstorm or solve problems in conversation, I have the same response: "Let me write about it first."
There's something so interesting about how writing becomes the actual medium of thought rather than just recording thoughts. My handwriting changed dramatically after my first major disintegration and hospitalization when I was 21. The physical act of thinking-through-writing transforms along with our inner landscape. I also appreciate TUL pens, by the way. Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts!
This is brilliant. You articulate a subtle process, through the detailed lens of your own personal experience, that describes a journey of growth and transformation through writing. We are blessed that one of your callings is as a researcher. You have data and research that for many writers would be hard to come by.
I took a month to get to this piece because I wanted to give it the time and attention it deserves (I listened to the audio and then read it the old fashioned way). In a way, this is the inverse of the "short attention span," eyeball seeking theatre that predominates these days. And that is a good thing. This is important work for writers and seekers of meaning and beauty. And when I comes from you, we know it possesses value of some depth.
Your "Practical Guidance" framework is now saved or my own reference and to share with others.
Thank you, Chris... in ways that may be hardly noticeable or even invisible to you, work like this changes lives... even saves them.
Eric, thank you for taking a month with this piece, listening to the audio and then reading it the old fashioned way. 🙏
Your observation about the “inverse of short attention span theatre” cuts right to the heart of it. The scale was the actual crucible. And you’re right that the Practical Guidance framework emerged from staying with my own words rather than translating into existing language.
What you said about this work changing lives, even saving them: I carry that with real weight. It’s why I keep doing it even when it would be easier not to. Thank you for witnessing it with such care. ❤️
You're extraordinary. This dialogue and the quest to write when you don't have the mentor you need is very revealing.
Thank you, Bea! The growth through constraint piece was hard to write about. It took me years to understand that what felt like limitation was actually the condition that forced me to develop my own authority. I think many of us end up in that position at some point: needing a quality of mentorship or mirroring that simply isn't available in our outer world. Writing became the way I learned to generate internally what I couldn't find externally.