If everything is going as it should, life will naturally be full of all sorts of deeply rich, meaningful, and interesting events and experiences that you will likely want to preserve and look back on in the future.
There are many different ways that people can go about trying to commemorate key events in their lives. Perhaps the most common way, historically, has been by journaling – keeping a written log of the events of day-to-day life, so that those events can be revisited later on from an “insider’s perspective.”
There are, however, all sorts of other ways of commemorating key events in your life, and there are reasons to think that journalling might not always be the best approach
After all, writing about your thoughts and feelings in a particular moment in time will tell you a lot about your mindset in that moment, but may not be the best way of preserving the moment itself.
Here are some great ways to commemorate key events in your life (other than by journaling.)
By keeping a photo journal
Keeping a “photo journal,” where you have daily entries consisting primarily of photographs, instead of long-form written entries, is a great way of preserving memories in a visceral format that you will likely be happy to look back on, in the future.
What’s more, thanks to modern smartphones, assorted digital technologies, and apps and services such as Day One journal, it’s now quicker and easier than ever before to keep a photo journal.
As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Often, a single photo will be able to bring back a flood of memories, thoughts, and insights.
By holding on to physical mementos and tokens from the occasion
If your significant other gives you a 1 carat diamond ring for your engagement, then it’s very likely that the ring itself will come to have a great wealth of meaning and significance to you, above and beyond its raw material cost.
Physical mementos and tokens from different meaningful occasions in your life can serve as embodied “anchors” that connect you to that particular moment in time.
Whether it’s a precious ring, a shell from a special day on the beach, or a trinket from a great vacation you went on, consider collecting and holding onto some old mementos.
By sharing your stories with those close to you
One of the best ways of commemorating significant occasions in your life, is to simply remember the fun, powerful, moving, or otherwise significant stories associated with those moments, and to then share them with those close to you.
Many grandchildren end up feeling a deep sense of connection to particular moments in the lives of their grandparents that they weren’t even alive to witness, but that they experienced vicariously through the tales they were told about those instances.
Storytelling is a timeless and precious art. Consider sharing some of the stories that are most meaningful to you, with those close to you.
Disclosure: this is a collaborative post