I wrote (and drew, and embellished with a little pasted-in flat paper vase and cut-out paper flowers) an entry in it, explaining that it was to be added to in whatever way chosen by the next person who agreed to receive it, keep it for only two weeks, and then put it into the mail for the next participant.
Eventually it was to come back to me. I wrote my address on the back page and tucked in a few dollars to cover the cost of postage for the next person who would have the book.
As they received it, friends wrote to tell me how fascinating and even beautiful it had become. They were thrilled by it, happy to add their words and art to it. Apparently there was even becoming a nice little stash of currency in it, so postage need never be a hindrance to anyone when the time came to pass it along.
The reputation of such travelling journals was that not one, ever, had been completed and returned to its original owner. So I kept track of who had it, their address, their phone number, and so on, hopeful that if the book got set aside and forgotten, I would be able to contact someone and give them a nudge to get it on its way.
And still the book disappeared without a trace. The last person it was sent to disappeared, no longer at her address or phone number, and yet the book did not get sent to the return address or to me.
What a disappointment. I would love to see that book again, and still in my heart of hearts I wonder if it might show up, if someone might find it forgotten on a shelf all these years later and flip through it and see my address in the back and do the right thing: put it into the mail.
If I were to try it again, would you join me?
If so, email me at katiekate@gmail.com. Put "travelling journal" in the subject line and give me your mailing address and phone number, please.
If I already have your contact info, just leave a comment.
As before, my promise is that when (always the optimist!) the journal is returned to me, full to bursting, with the permission of each entrant I will scan and post all the pages here.
Who's up for it?
