Loved Kate's last post about the sanity journaling can bring. I, also, cannot imagine traveling without a journal (especially when visiting family!)--it's also my unconditional companion and my solace in any situation. If I am unsettled, or my mind is whirling with thoughts, just opening my journal and putting my pen to the page (even using text as the page design in the absence of anything inspiring to sketch) will ground me and allow me to relax. On a 2-week trip to Florida this winter to visit a relative, I went to bed every night and entered the day's activities in a "calendar"-style approach, so I would have memories of the trip and also be able to process the sometimes difficult differences in our lifestyles. In the seclusion of the guestroom, I could write whatever I wished in small, compact letters and words that would be difficult to decipher by day to anyone looking through my journal. In the dim lamplight, I added simple splashes of color that captured the "feeling" of the day with my waterbrush and travel watercolor palette, and added symbolic objects from memory. By the time I was finished with each entry, I was content, sane, and ready for sleep.
