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I just say "love affair gone wrong?" Another lesson here. Lesson 2, do NOT write about a love affair, gone wrong or going strong! Do not chronicle your sex life with your wife or husband and whatever you do, NO confessions on paper ever! Remember, there most likely isn't a little lock and key on this journal and suspecting spouses especially have no qualms about reading your journal in the interest of getting to know the inner you better.

Other topics to avoid in an adult journal would include but not be limited to: how much you spent on that great looking new pair of shoes, what you really think of your next door neighbor, best friend, golfing buddy, your husband's mother; what you really think about little Johnny's teacher; how badly you would like to "strangle" your 4 year old for painting the bathroom with peanut butter; and no musings about your office mate's wife's boobs.

So, what on earth can you safely write about? That all depends on if you think your journal will ever be found. Remember the writings by Francesca in Bridges Over Madison County? They were meant to be found someday by her children. Hopefully her husband never came upon them. Better to be safe than sorry, so start a Gratitude Journal. You heard that right. Buy yourself a nice book of blank pages. A handsome brown leather, peachy linen, neon plastic or black and white school notebook, whatever suits you. Keep it by your bed with a pen. Each night, or at least those nights your troubles are keeping you awake, take the time to write about whatever it is you are feeling grateful for that day. This could consist of a hug from your 11 year old son; the raise you got at work; the fact that you didn't get hit by that car that ran the stop sign; the pretty sunset you saw; hubby coming home in a good mood; just about anything really. That's all you are allowed to safely write about. Honestly, take it from me, this will become less boring the more you do it. "Johnny's teacher remembered to brush her teeth today thank goodness, lol which made parent teacher night more palatable this time around." I'm serious! In time the list will get longer and longer, and surprisingly you will fall asleep faster I'm willing to bet, than if you wrote about your miseries.

Is this Gratitude Journal thing a little too Rebbecca of Sunny-brook Farm like for you? Perhaps, but hey I didn't invent it don't blame me. I found this suggestion in a book called Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sara Ban Breathnach, a writer of self help books for women. She has even published a nice journal for those who feel the need for something more than a plain notebook or who might enjoy the pleasant quotes inside hers. "Gratitude is the most passionate transformative force in the cosmos," she promises in the introduction of one of her several books. Her advice is that you list five things minimum that you are grateful for every day and suggests that in just a couple of months your life may look completely different to you. I don't quite know if I subscribe to that ideal result but I'm pretty sure you'll be amazed at how accurate an accounting of your life the gratitude journal will be. I do think though that it's worth a try and far less risky than outing yourself to whoever decides to snoop.

Learn more about this author, Louisa Threesixfour.
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