Where is that box?

I had exhausted all the most logical places. I was down to one last decent option.

Today, I went digging in the Christmas closet. I felt pretty sure the missing box was there.

I closed my eyes and I could even, sort of, remember why the missing box was in that closet. As we were putting away the decorations back at the first of the year, I needed the extra box to balance out the stacks of decorations. Yeah, that’s it. That’s why it was there. Balance.

As I pulled out box after box, I finally spotted it. Yeah that was it. And it kind of made sense. Yeah. That balanced out the stacks. So, reality matched memory!

Only one thing. When I got down to that box, it wasn’t it. It was something else.

Last option = Crossed off the list. Memory 1 Reality 0.

So, let’s go back to the beginning of the story. Actually, let’s go back BEFORE the beginning.

A good friend and former co-worker of mine suggested that I begin a journalling exercise for Holly and Paul. At the time he suggested it, they were both kids. Now, Holly is rapidly approaching the end of her teen years and Paul is my size (and with full beard when he doesn’t shave for a few days). Meanwhile, the journaling project is in full steam. Actually, I am just a few pages shy of finishing the 60th book in my ongoing series.

The idea was for me to capture some of the intracies of daily life for these two. Then, years from now, they would have this time period covered…in pen and ink.

Mission accomplished.

And what started as a good idea has become somewhat of a compulsion. I find that I really HAVE to write every day. And it’s fun!

What ISN’T fun is looking for this missing box. That has become a compulsion of another kind.

When I began LOOKING for the missing box, I was actually trying to remember when it was that I started the journalling project. So, I started looking in all the closets, on all the shelves, in all the logical places.

No box.

Now, I have just finished searching the last of the somewhat less logical locales and still…no box. So the next step is I’m going to have to - ahem - think OUTSIDE THE BOX.

As for the answer to my original question, “When Did I Start?” we can probably do this together. My Mead, 3 Subject, College Ruled® notebooks tend to last me about 6 weeks. So, let’s see…as I am finishing my 60th book we can extrapolate. At 6 weeks per book, that’s about 8 books per year (give or take). And, at 8 books per year – 60 divided by 8 - pull up the calculator - is about 7.5 years.

So, that means I started this journalling project sometime in 2004…maybe around May. And that very first book is in that very first box…somewhere.

Sad to say, I’m starting to get that sinking feeling it may be another 7.5 before I see that first box again!

JG

Originally posted 11/13/2011