Antiquated Notions of Privacy

Do you remember the beauty of a diary? I remember during my childhood, having the opportunity to find a beautiful notebook, that I could write down all my private thoughts and feelings, then lock it up for no prying eyes to see. I would sneak into my room, quiet as a mouse, and softly open the latch that I knew was the one thing that held my thoughts and experiences to me, and only me. I have been recently thinking about what has happened to private thought since everything has become public and externalized? I write on a blog, and so do many of my friends and family, hence, it's easy to remain "connected" by reading their angst, opinions and possible rants. We are also obviously in the era of facebook and twitter, where not just our photos and profile are public domain, but also our up-to-the-minute experiences. I get shown on a daily basis, downloaded right into the palm of my iPhone, what my friends in San Diego are making for dinner, the weather in Vancouver, who may be on a trip abroad. I find that the externalization of our mental, physical and emotional experiences has made it challenging to be alone. When all of a sudden you turn off the steady stream of information, and simply practice the art of being alone, there is a subtle desire that bubbles to the surface to quickly run to the computer, status update: Josie is practicing privacy for a couple of hours, please do not disturb.
I have the personality mixture that enjoys alone time as much as community time. I am one part hermit mixed with two shakes of a social butterfly. But as I read books on how to connect to my writer's voice, how to embrace my creative calling, the advice is to practice privacy. Julia Cameron, well-known for her publications to help inspire your creativity, reccommends journal writing and time for your self. Things that we may have taken for granted in another era can be very challenging to accomodate. What?? Pick up a pen and write on a piece of paper? Schedule a date with myself for myself? I love it, what a novice idea!
Journaling has always been for me moving meditation, there is a power to actually writing what is in your mind and heart through your hands. Actually forming the words with ink, the satisfying scratch of the paper, the shuffle of a page once it's on to the next one. But I ventured out into blogland, for I can type over 45 wpm, and I have the opportunity to reach a greater audience. Or simply, just an audience. For what is private thought if not communicated?
It's funny how my yoga practice, my writing, truly my life has presently shifted back to basics. Returning to the essence, the simplicity of parsvakonasana (side-angle pose) is matched by the connection of pencil to paper. My needs have lessened, though my desires and dreams have exploded. The world of imagination, the world where the mind and the heart collide, that wondrous internal private universe is where I look forward in residing this shift into the season of hibernation and creation. Creation of larger projects, more personal and less public. I'm off to buy myself a diary.