Ayse Birsel presents an opportunity for readers to take control of their current life and reconstruct it into what they have always wanted. As a not-so-recent college graduate, I jumped at the opportunity to take on this type of project.
Birsel does a wonderful jump at explaining how the journal will work, and offers suggestions on how to get comfortable for the ride. There are four steps of journaling: deconstruction, point of view, reconstruction, and expression. The deconstruction process was overwhelming and liberating, I had to put a lot of thought into taking my life apart and then realized maybe I need to experiment with my life more. It’s a lot like writing out the ingredients to chicken noodle soup, except it’s your life. There are multiple attempts provided in the journal which helped me ease into the activities with each round. These exercises continue throughout the journal to assist you in taking those initial pieces of your life to decide what to keep, and what to discard. I like to think of this journal as a spring cleaning for your existence, but on paper. Simply cross out what you no longer need, and put things back together the way you would like.
I have yet to complete my journal as I have a hard time finding spots in my day to sit down and focus on the task, but what I have done has been incredibly therapeutic. My handwriting is atrocious so fitting my handwriting onto the pages became a challenge, which makes me grateful that there were extra pages provided for scribbling purposes. The pages are neat and appealing to the eye with little going on so you can focus on the task at hand. I highly recommend this journal to anyone who wants to take a step back and reevaluate their life. It is a great way to spend time on yourself and remind yourself what makes you the person you are.
I look forward to working through this and embracing whatever it is I piece back together.
