The words of Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations have resonated deeply and quickly with me. They echo my very thoughts as if he were writing my own mind.
I have not been writing because of an internal pressure to explain background context. It is unnecessary and stops me from starting. For example, you do not need to know that I first heard of Marcus Aurelius in the Putney cinema watching Gladiator in 2000, or that I watched How to Journal (Like Marcus Aurelius) seeking to learn a way to journal better. You only need to know I am reading his words from almost 2,000 years ago.
When I am failing to revisit and process articles I have collected for my highlighted thoughts and notes, the value in keeping them must be minimal. They were kept because they resonated with my ideas. Because they are kept my ideas are not getting to the page. Each can be deleted without fear of consequence. I cannot lose knowledge I have never had. Words on a page are not knowledge.
Discussing Marcus, Corey and I discovered our mutual love for The Dark Tower. It was the highlight of my day to have someone who loves these books as much as I do. Connections like this are important to helping me feel like I belong.