Dear HJ, I really appreciate that your videos are not just pen reviews, but they go so much deeper. I wish you and your family all the best for 2024. Stay creative, open-minded and enjoy life.
Writing a journal is an excellent way to pull ones self out of the muck of isolation and despair plus it allows one to improve handwriting as well as spelling. It gets me to the moment rather than the long gone past.
Thank you for this. I am a new widow and I don't know how I could possibly cope without my journal. All the raw, ugly and beautiful grief in my heart can bleed out all over the pages whenever I feel the need. And all the memories I hold so dear can have a home there too. I've never cried so much in my words or laughed so hard in them either. Pens and paper are precious precious tools that our mind needs in all the right and wrong times of our lives. If anyone here doesn't journal please please give it a try. No one needs to know. No special pen or special paper is needed. But your words and your thoughts are too valuable a treasure to not put them in a safe place where they can both grow and make the world come into focus. ❤
This is such a wonderful comment. Thank you for those profound and heart felt sentiments. I am so sorry you had to go through that. It must be so difficult. I hope my Channel can offer little oasis of respite, and I am so glad you resonate with it. Thanks very much for being here and all of your kind support! My Channel will be with you here through this.
Great video - ironically here in Australia it is summer and it is my best time of year for my mental health so I'm feeling for my norther hemisphere buddies! Hang in there! I've lived with depression and anxiety for many years now and a few things that have helped me include: - Creating - making, creating, innovating whether it be written words, art, photography etc - Chasing Curiosities - learning new skills, learning about new ideas and topics, following hunches and interests - Connecting - interacting with other people - Contribution - doing something for others, being generous, volunteering - getting outside of my own head and helping others - Contemplation - journalling, reflecting on where I'm at and exploring this with others (including medically trained people) Interestingly enough I can see how fountain pens connect with all of these things in different ways! Peace, Hope, Love and Joy to you all at this time of year - whatever your season.
Hello and yes, so sorry. I definitely have a Northern Hemisphere Bias. I love your list of what is helping you. Fantastic. Thanks for the excellent comment. Happiest of New Years!
Actively journaling is going to be my new years resolution...ive been to depressed and lazy to even do it at all and I want to change that, as I know it will help me. No more moping around...I gotta force myself to get going..then it will happen naturally.
I am the opposite, weekdays I work in an office with cubicles and artificial lighting and have almost no daylight, though I did change my work hours to leave at 3pm, so I get a little bit. Weekends are much better for me. I do my personal journaling before bed, it has been over a year, but I have been consistent so far this week. Another thing I have started this week is morning pages. Thankfully I am naturally a morning person. I was getting up at 4:30am but I have to get up at 4am on work days to have time to do them. You can look it up, but it is stream of consciousness writing for three pages in a notebook. I use a cheap one with a gel pen, it isn’t something for your nice journals. I find it helps get me out of my head some. I was dubious about it but so far I am liking it. I also do pen pals, another thing to get me outside my own head. These things may not be for everyone, but they seem to help me.
I encourage you to treasure your pages no matter what they cost or how beautiful they are. If they bring you joy or peace or clarity, they are treasures from any source!
Great video, HJ. You really hit the nail on the head when you discussed being honest with yourself while journaling. Adding the phrase, "I feel..." within a journal entry is essential. Journaling keeps me going too, especially during the winter months. The B-roll footage was wonderful.
Your travel and journaling videos are stellar! It really drives home the benefits of journaling and FPs as a way to boost serotonin and mood ! I hope you keep up these particular videos!
Thanks very much! I appreciate it! I like these videos too, but no one (relatively) watches them. It makes me want to stop doing them because they are hard, but I do them for comments like this and all of the other lovely supportive comments, and because I need to express these things. Thanks so much!
@@HemingwayJones - Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa. It doesn't matter how many people watch your videos. Even if they help just ONE person along his or her way, then they have served a magnificent purpose. I turned 65 last November; had to retire from my job for the last 30 years, sold my house, scaled down, and found that I'm now battling with depression; finding something meaningful to do each day is what I'm trying to focus on, but its not easy. Journaling and writing certainly helps. I appreciate your carefully chosen words; the impeccable way you dress; the music you choose for the video; and a host of other things that just make your channel and videos stand out from a morass of rubbish on the Internet. Keep up the good work
I will rewatch. I was so busy looking at what you filmed as I was there on a vacation in September. It was on a cruise and you really don’t get a lot of time to explore. Great footage!
Thank you so much for your beautiful UA-cam! There are some days that are more difficult than others. Beautiful Quebec and cold. My husband and spent a month in Andalucía Spain and I came so much happier and refreshed. I hope you have a wonderful 2024. You deserve it. 😊
I was in QC in August, staying at a hotel down the hill from the old city, near the tram. One day we went to Île d'Orléans. I highly recommend visiting there.
Hello HJ. Another great video. Extremely insightful coupled with Quebec City for the backdrop added a pleasing atmosphere. Great job as always. Stay safe my friend.
Sitting here watching this didn't expect to start tearing up but I did and apparently need to just take some time to myself. Good advice on letting the family know that it's not them. I tend to keep it all bottled up! Thanks HJ I needed this today!
I have a maroon v-neck cardigan just like that that my boyfriend gave me my freshman year in college. Dumped him, kept the sweater. It looks as good as new 30 years later! My daughter, who is now also a freshman in college, just liberated it from my closet.
Great video HJ! I really appreciate you sharing your feelings. I started writing 3 things I am grateful for. Mostly every day, but sometimes I forget it. It's nice to think about something positive and also nice to use my pens more by doing that.
That is wonderful. Thanks so much for the kind words. I am glad that you have found some peace with journaling. Thanks so much for watching and please do drop by again. All the best!
By looking for joy and holding on to those emotions 10 or 20 seconds (through journaling) we can rewire our brain for happiness. I have been reading Hardwiring Happiness! Very good.
For some peculiar reason I am exactly the opposite. I literally live for the winter months, rainy days and the lack of sunlight that would put most people in a coma. Perhaps it is because I was raised in a location where these adverse weather conditions were most prevalent. Bright sunny days and the summer heat are almost an overload and I find that depressing. I live a life that is truly dark academia personified. Thank you for being so upfront and honest in your videos. I enjoy other viewpoints and life experiences different than my own. Cheers
I have seasonal depression, too: it’s only bad in winter, spring, summer, and fall. The rest of the year I’m very upbeat. But I also look forward to the long nights and the way the stars seem to shine more clearly. In summer, everything seems washed out. I don’t care for the ice and snow nor for extreme temps, but the nights are glorious.
That is wonderful. My wife is from the UK and she is a bit like that. I am actually the worst of both states of being, because I get depressed again in Summer, feeling drained and trapped by the hear. Thanks for watching and for being here!
Thank you. It has been many years since I have been in Québec City. It is time I get back again for a visit. I find the process of travel is one of the things that helps me through the year. To find places to experience and write about them is great. Thanks again for sharing your perspective and experiences.
I appreciate your comments. I needed to hear this today. I think this is the most beautiful video you've created. I used to suffer from SAD, but I seem to have grown out of it, and now appreciate the winter season, for the opportunity to create a warm, cozy environment for myself, a place to withdraw and enjoy my books and pens.
As one who writes to family regularly, I find that another benefit of journaling is that I've said to the future reader what they can choose to read, rather than ambushing family with hospital chaplain griefs that were better dealt with elsewhere. This goes beyond respecting HIPAA confidentiality. which, of course, I maintain. Thank you for these thoughts, HJ.
Thanks so much! I think it’s great that you keep in touch with them. I just started writing notes to my daughter. I can say sweet things to her and she can practice her reading. Thanks!
Really inspiring video. I know for me depression just feels chemical and I have a hard time pulling myself out of the darkness using logic… but journaling gives me a moment by moment “listening ear” to hear my struggles without judgment. Love your channel, sir. You continue to amaze me.
Aww! Hemingway! You did it again! I was in Quebec City several years ago and some of the places you walked were familiar to me. But I was super excited at 7:13 when you and your daughter walked past the Cochon Dingue (on your left), an awesome restaurant where I ate. I totally agree with you. I journal every day with my favorite fountain pens and Leuchtturm dot grids (not quite as impressive as your beautiful leather ones, but I like the paper), and yes, the days are finally growing longer. We've gained 7 minutes and 25 seconds since the shortest day of the year, December 21st!!! 🎉Thanks again for a great video!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed QC as much as I. Thanks for the kind words on this video. It means a lot to me. And of course we had lunch there! Love that place. Lapine Sauturn as well. Thanks so much!
Allo @HemingwayJones lovely B-roll and Erik Satie BGM. Very Francophile mood. Yes SAD is real as are other forms of depression. Take care. Yes journaling or writing certainly can be liberating. Have a healthy 2024.
Oh wow, you did such an incredible job of capturing the magic of Old Quebec City! I have had to watch several times and the first viewing I was too distracted by all the beautiful images. Really appreciate this topic and some practical suggestions too, thanks so much, Hemingway!
Another thoughtful and generous post. I’m sure sharing your own experience is very helpful to many people. Hoping you and your family have a great Holiday!
Hi H.J. The journal save me to. Already 20 years algo I start in this aventure when fountain pen, paper and ink walk with me in my sign. I love your outfit dark academia. 😊😊😊
Thanks HJ! You reminded me that I've not touched my journal yet today, and was avoiding doing so, because that first "I feel..." was proving a stumbling block, as I was trying not to accept something. But it helped to get it out on paper, and the issue isn't an issue at all now. 😀
Great video HJ. I cannot remember where I heard but whenever I start to feel anxious about the future or ruminate on the past I remind myself to “keep my mind where my feet are” - in the present! Journaling helps me slow my thoughts down and take an objective look at my feelings. To question what lies behind them and test if my mind and feet are in the same place. Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Most of us certainly need to orient ourselves towards a better place and I do believe it starts with getting our thoughts, fears and desires down and out of our heads. All the best. Looking forward to more great videos.
Hello there Hemmingway Jones! I'm not normally one to comment on videos, preferring to be a silent observer. However, your video was fascinating and really insightful. Although I'm a dip pen writer as opposed to a fountain pen one, I enjoyed hearing your love and passion for writing and journaling as a whole. There is a real power in putting pen to paper, which is sometimes hard to explain and at times, indescribable too. But the relief and the liberation one feels, as the thoughts from the mind flow to the pen and onto the pages, is beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us all, the healing power of journaling and it's lovely to know how much it helps you, in combating the thoughts and feelings that sometimes intrude the mind. Keep up the fantastic work!
Thank you so much for the generous and kind comment. I sincerely appreciate it. Thank you so much for being here and for watching. I hope to hear from you again! I will need to step up my game to inspire you to. I wish you well!
Simply amazing! The finest cinemas on the joys found in writing, are all right here. I love your presentations like this, they are themselves a perfect elixir for seasonal sadness!
Thank you for this video and everything you do on your channel. This is something that I need to do more often, since it has helped me in the past, so I know it works. Best wishes to you and your family.
Beautiful video; you touched on something extremely important -- that our subjective experience of life is completely, totally, and in all other ways a function of the thoughts that seem real to us.
Gorgeous video! I like all the information as it reminds me of what I can and should be doing. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by everything it is difficult to write.
This video was a reminder of how you got me into journaling and how it truly helped me to express my thoughts down in writing. It also gave me an excuse to practice my handwriting every day. Although I have never been diagnosed with seasonal Depression while living in Florida LOL, I feel bad for those who do. Bless you in this new year.
Yes the surgery went well and I am healing up fast, but not food-wise. I am starting soft foods on Thursday from Pureed meat and basically everything. But, it is getting easier. I have lost 12 pounds since surgery.
So helpful. I appreciate it. I too suffer from seasonal depression. When it’s warm and the sun is out I’m always writing outside, so it’s rough when it’s the long winter days.
Another excellent production- the imagery, editing and pacing are superb. And as the next commenter noted, it is so refreshing that your channel is not merely a collection of pen reviews, but a picture of life itself and the way that pens and journaling fit into the deeper thoughts and philosophies which you clearly express. I sometimes wonder if you are -among other things - a student of the Stoics as your own wisdom corresponds to many of their teachings Finally, I love your emphasis on your family and your joy at being with them immersing yourself in life with them... bless you.
Thank you so much! This is so kind of you to say and I am so glad that this Channel resonates with you. It makes me so happy. I wouldn't say that I am a student of the Stoics, but I do enjoy Epictetus and Stoicism-light like Marcu Aurelius. Thanks so much!
Herr Jones, Thank you for shedding light on the issue of depression, especially for men. It's often seen as a weakness in our culture for men to admit that they are depressed, which is truly unfortunate. Personally, I have found journaling to be beneficial, and I have been clinically depressed for most of my adult life. Even in my retirement, I still need to be diligent in managing my condition. I appreciate your clear and influential work addressing this issue on your platform. I wish you and your family all the best as you continue to share your journey through life. I admire your work on your channel and eagerly anticipate your upcoming videos. With Admiration Kelly Keith Dunn
Hello My Friend! Thank you so much for this kind and encouraging note. I hope that you are doing OK. I know it is a continual struggle, but I am so glad that you are seeing benefits and I am standing there with you. This reminds me to get writing on another video like this one. Thank you!
@@HemingwayJones 4:46 PM I would love to write a letter and discuss Depression and men. But as a retired man living on social security, I can't give to the higher echelon of contributors. Whether by letter or some other means I would love to be part of your resources on this important subject. PM me if you want my address.
Besides useful videos about fountain pens, I am so pleased to listen to you. I study English and in my opinion you have an amazing pronunciation and a rich vocabulary, so I wrote down a few phrases)
What a great piece and thank you for sharing your process. Don’t think that I have any mental health issues right now, but having said that, I do feel the need and the desire to want to start journaling. I just bought a new MontBlanc pen this week that I am just starting to use and I have a small writing journal and I’m going to make the time. I love your idea of getting out and enjoying new experiences. I’m going to start this weekend. Thank you.
05:14 are those moose skin gloves? Been trying to get my hands on some, but here in Sweden the hunters just bury the skin with the rest of the cadaver, as demand for moose skin is too low for them to bother.
@@HemingwayJones Ah, cool. I've gotten the idea that "yellow leather gloves" equals moose skin. Hestra has yellow moose skin gloves, and king Charles XII of Sweden (1682-1718) always wore his yellow moose skin gloves, during the 20 year Great Northern War.
I’m a behind on my UA-cam watching. Thank you for sharing your insight on this. I live in the Midwest (Iowa) and seasonal depression is a thing in this area of the US too. I have stuggled with it to varying degrees over the years. I noticed that you mentioned the word “persevere” in your video. It’s my word of the year that I chose for 2024 also…interesting. Again, thank you and take care Hemingway.
Thanks so much! I love that we focused on the same word. I use that because I prefer it over the concept of “battling.” I feel like some things can only be endured. Thanks so much for watching and for the nice comment.
Hello! So when I am out and about, I carry smaller notebooks. I recopy the important parts into my larger journal. It's not the best system, but it works for me. Thanks so much, My Friend! I hope all is well.
@@HemingwayJonesThat sounds like a very sensible approach that also gives you a way to process the parts of your day worth noting. I imagine that reviewing your carry-alongs also brings other write-worthy aspects of the day back up to the front of your mind.
I've actually found that I have to go to bed every night and tell my brain, "Okay, you need to let me sleep now. Stop spinning in circles, and if I wake up in the middle of the night, don't start trying to quote-unquote-help by shoving things to worry about at me. I'm just waking up at 3am because that's what my body wants to do, and you're fishing around for a logical reason for it, and there isn't one. Go back to sleep." I literally consciously tell myself this every night before I go to bed, and if I forget, I will wake up and start spinning excuses for anxiety. I actually found that I have to look skeptically at the things my mind tells me whenever one of these things is true: when my intellectual side is trying to come up with an emotional reaction, or my emotional side is trying to come up with a logical conclusion. The intellectual side is good at conclusions, and the emotional side is good at reactions, but each occasionally tries to do the other's job. And that's when I have to pull the brake handle and tell my head to calm down, press the pause button, and take a deep breath. A friend of mine once told me -- and she was right -- that just because you think or feel something doesn't mean it's true. I didn't really get comfortable with that until I sussed out what I described above, that whenever one part of your whole self is trying to do a job best left to another part, that's when you should be skeptical of whatever it is you're telling yourself.
I love this comment. I have some Live shows that sound a bit like this. Some of my process of bouncing back from depression was admitting that I think and feel some things that may or may not be true. Sometimes I have to overrule myself with my higher mind. Thanks so much!
Love your channel. Would love to know if you have ever listened to the band called Tindersticks, I have most of their albums but their first one really reminds me of the Dark Academia you explore in your channel. I already had the decor and everything until learning is was an actual aesthetic from watching you
Hello Jane! Thank you very much for the kind words about my Channel. This means the world to me. Thank you. Sadly, I do not know that band, but I’ll check them out. I mostly listen o podcasts. I am so glad you are enjoying the Dark Academic themed videos. They may be my favorites. Thanks for the great comment.
The Leaf Dance! Yes! That video was edited around that performance of hers. Love it! It’s the uplifting point of the video with Ode to Joy leading to it. Thanks!
Mr. Jones, Thank you for continuing to take us with you on your journeys, both the geographical ones and the psychological. Both are beautiful. What do people do with their old journals? It has occurred to me that I am not particularly young any longer and am much closer to my death than my birth. Whatever journals I leave behind will be read by my family. Since I did not always fill the pages with wit worthy of Oscar Wilde nor with expressions of joy and gratitude, I’m starting to gather them together to decide their fate. How do other folks think about preserving, culling, or destroying their journals?
Hello Ruth! This is a great comment. I am going to jot this down and mention it on a future live or video. For me, I want them to know me as I was (am). They are all on my shelf and they are welcome to pick it up and read. I have no secrets between my wife and me. (My daughter is a bit young yet, so I am not considering her for the moment). Thanks for the insightful comment.
It’s wonderful that you can be so open with your writing with your family. That is a phenomenal gift, one I’m sure you earned. I have some journals that I will leave for my family. I think my family already knows who I am pretty well (my children are adults), but I also think I’ve written things during difficult times that will not be beneficial for others to read. Perhaps what I need is one of those CIA highlighters. I look forward to whatever thoughtful offerings you post or video about what becomes of our journals and to what others think, too!
Thank you for sharing the range of your journal practice. I have been doing the Morning Pages ( Julia Cameron) for a couple of months - generally speaking it is a more freeform approach - whatever comes to mind - That has been interesting and helpful to me, but your elaboration provides me the potential for finding a focus. I appreciate your openness in all your presentations, but especially with this topic. - best to you and your family for the rest of 2024!
Dear HJ, I really appreciate that your videos are not just pen reviews, but they go so much deeper. I wish you and your family all the best for 2024. Stay creative, open-minded and enjoy life.
Thanks very much! I am so glad you are here with me. Thanks for the kind words and here is to 2024! All the best.
I must say dilly dilly to this for I agree 💯
Writing a journal is an excellent way to pull ones self out of the muck of isolation and despair plus it allows one to improve handwriting as well as spelling. It gets me to the moment rather than the long gone past.
Wonderfully stated. Thank you! And thanks for watching.
Thank you for this. I am a new widow and I don't know how I could possibly cope without my journal. All the raw, ugly and beautiful grief in my heart can bleed out all over the pages whenever I feel the need. And all the memories I hold so dear can have a home there too. I've never cried so much in my words or laughed so hard in them either. Pens and paper are precious precious tools that our mind needs in all the right and wrong times of our lives. If anyone here doesn't journal please please give it a try. No one needs to know. No special pen or special paper is needed. But your words and your thoughts are too valuable a treasure to not put them in a safe place where they can both grow and make the world come into focus. ❤
This is such a wonderful comment. Thank you for those profound and heart felt sentiments. I am so sorry you had to go through that. It must be so difficult. I hope my Channel can offer little oasis of respite, and I am so glad you resonate with it. Thanks very much for being here and all of your kind support! My Channel will be with you here through this.
@@HemingwayJones I truly do feel like your channel and your kind followers are a bright light that brings me joy. ❤️
Thank you so very much! That means so much.
Great video - ironically here in Australia it is summer and it is my best time of year for my mental health so I'm feeling for my norther hemisphere buddies! Hang in there!
I've lived with depression and anxiety for many years now and a few things that have helped me include:
- Creating - making, creating, innovating whether it be written words, art, photography etc
- Chasing Curiosities - learning new skills, learning about new ideas and topics, following hunches and interests
- Connecting - interacting with other people
- Contribution - doing something for others, being generous, volunteering - getting outside of my own head and helping others
- Contemplation - journalling, reflecting on where I'm at and exploring this with others (including medically trained people)
Interestingly enough I can see how fountain pens connect with all of these things in different ways!
Peace, Hope, Love and Joy to you all at this time of year - whatever your season.
Hello and yes, so sorry. I definitely have a Northern Hemisphere Bias. I love your list of what is helping you. Fantastic. Thanks for the excellent comment. Happiest of New Years!
Outstanding video. In your open and honest sharing, there are definitely some good lessons for me.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you very much.
Actively journaling is going to be my new years resolution...ive been to depressed and lazy to even do it at all and I want to change that, as I know it will help me. No more moping around...I gotta force myself to get going..then it will happen naturally.
Good resolution! And, if that helps you, start by only doing 1 sentence. Don't demand too much of yourself ❤️
It can really help, My Friend. This Channel will do its best to keep you focused. Wishing you the best. I know it’s a struggle.
Best of luck. Journaling becomes an addiction. Not a chore once you start seeing the benefits activating in your life.
Yeah this year feels like a good year...unless some crazy covid 20.5 or something happens
I am the opposite, weekdays I work in an office with cubicles and artificial lighting and have almost no daylight, though I did change my work hours to leave at 3pm, so I get a little bit. Weekends are much better for me. I do my personal journaling before bed, it has been over a year, but I have been consistent so far this week. Another thing I have started this week is morning pages. Thankfully I am naturally a morning person. I was getting up at 4:30am but I have to get up at 4am on work days to have time to do them. You can look it up, but it is stream of consciousness writing for three pages in a notebook. I use a cheap one with a gel pen, it isn’t something for your nice journals. I find it helps get me out of my head some. I was dubious about it but so far I am liking it. I also do pen pals, another thing to get me outside my own head. These things may not be for everyone, but they seem to help me.
I encourage you to treasure your pages no matter what they cost or how beautiful they are. If they bring you joy or peace or clarity, they are treasures from any source!
As long as you are writing and it helps to keep you happy, then I am all for it, My Friend. Thanks for watching and for the kind comment.
@@bellboots Fancy meeting you here! ;)
Great video, HJ. You really hit the nail on the head when you discussed being honest with yourself while journaling. Adding the phrase, "I feel..." within a journal entry is essential. Journaling keeps me going too, especially during the winter months. The B-roll footage was wonderful.
Thanks Man! Glad you enjoyed it.
Your travel and journaling videos are stellar! It really drives home the benefits of journaling and FPs as a way to boost serotonin and mood
! I hope you keep up these particular videos!
Thanks very much! I appreciate it! I like these videos too, but no one (relatively) watches them. It makes me want to stop doing them because they are hard, but I do them for comments like this and all of the other lovely supportive comments, and because I need to express these things. Thanks so much!
@@HemingwayJones - Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa. It doesn't matter how many people watch your videos. Even if they help just ONE person along his or her way, then they have served a magnificent purpose. I turned 65 last November; had to retire from my job for the last 30 years, sold my house, scaled down, and found that I'm now battling with depression; finding something meaningful to do each day is what I'm trying to focus on, but its not easy. Journaling and writing certainly helps. I appreciate your carefully chosen words; the impeccable way you dress; the music you choose for the video; and a host of other things that just make your channel and videos stand out from a morass of rubbish on the Internet. Keep up the good work
I will rewatch. I was so busy looking at what you filmed as I was there on a vacation in September. It was on a cruise and you really don’t get a lot of time to explore. Great footage!
Thanks very much! I am glad that you enjoyed it and know the city. It’s one of my favorite places.
Thank you so much for your beautiful UA-cam! There are some days that are more difficult than others. Beautiful Quebec and cold. My husband and spent a month in Andalucía Spain and I came so much happier and refreshed. I hope you have a wonderful 2024. You deserve it. 😊
Thanks very much and Happy New Year to you! Wishing you all the best. I am glad that you enjoyed this.
I was in QC in August, staying at a hotel down the hill from the old city, near the tram. One day we went to Île d'Orléans. I highly recommend visiting there.
I’m glad that you know the city. Thanks for watching.
Hello HJ. Another great video. Extremely insightful coupled with Quebec City for the backdrop added a pleasing atmosphere. Great job as always. Stay safe my friend.
Thank you so much! I am glad you enjoyed it! All the best!
Insightful and inspirational.
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Sitting here watching this didn't expect to start tearing up but I did and apparently need to just take some time to myself. Good advice on letting the family know that it's not them. I tend to keep it all bottled up! Thanks HJ I needed this today!
Thanks so much for watching and I am so glad this has resonated with you. I'm wishing you all the best. We'll get through this together.
Your outfit: Holden, is that you? Beautiful video. Thanks.
Caulfield? That’s awesome! Thanks for watching. It was wicked cold up there.
@@HemingwayJones Yes, the very one. And that was, of course, with the hat and not the stocking cap. Enjoyed the video especially the scenery.
Grats on 10k subs HJ! Thanks for the timely video and continued success in 2024!
Thanks, My Friend! That snuck up on me. Thanks so much!
At 9:03 the clip of your daughter dancing with a leaf to Beethoven's 9th, brought me joy.
The Leaf Dance! She just asked me about this yesterday! She asked if I still used the clip. Thanks so much! I love this too!
I have a maroon v-neck cardigan just like that that my boyfriend gave me my freshman year in college. Dumped him, kept the sweater. It looks as good as new 30 years later! My daughter, who is now also a freshman in college, just liberated it from my closet.
That is awesome. Cardigans rule.
Great video HJ! I really appreciate you sharing your feelings.
I started writing 3 things I am grateful for. Mostly every day, but sometimes I forget it. It's nice to think about something positive and also nice to use my pens more by doing that.
Hi Jolien! It’s great to see you here! I like your idea.
That is wonderful. Thanks so much for the kind words. I am glad that you have found some peace with journaling. Thanks so much for watching and please do drop by again. All the best!
By looking for joy and holding on to those emotions 10 or 20 seconds (through journaling) we can rewire our brain for happiness. I have been reading Hardwiring Happiness! Very good.
@@debbypodgorski4144 hi Debby! Yes it's fun to see you here. Have noticed you here before.
For some peculiar reason I am exactly the opposite. I literally live for the winter months, rainy days and the lack of sunlight that would put most people in a coma. Perhaps it is because I was raised in a location where these adverse weather conditions were most prevalent. Bright sunny days and the summer heat are almost an overload and I find that depressing. I live a life that is truly dark academia personified. Thank you for being so upfront and honest in your videos. I enjoy other viewpoints and life experiences different than my own. Cheers
I have seasonal depression, too: it’s only bad in winter, spring, summer, and fall. The rest of the year I’m very upbeat.
But I also look forward to the long nights and the way the stars seem to shine more clearly. In summer, everything seems washed out. I don’t care for the ice and snow nor for extreme temps, but the nights are glorious.
That is wonderful. My wife is from the UK and she is a bit like that. I am actually the worst of both states of being, because I get depressed again in Summer, feeling drained and trapped by the hear. Thanks for watching and for being here!
Thank you. It has been many years since I have been in Québec City. It is time I get back again for a visit. I find the process of travel is one of the things that helps me through the year. To find places to experience and write about them is great. Thanks again for sharing your perspective and experiences.
Thank you so much for being here and for watching!
I appreciate your comments. I needed to hear this today. I think this is the most beautiful video you've created. I used to suffer from SAD, but I seem to have grown out of it, and now appreciate the winter season, for the opportunity to create a warm, cozy environment for myself, a place to withdraw and enjoy my books and pens.
Wow, thanks so much! It was worth making just for this comment. I am so glad you turned this around. All the best!
Quebec City is so beautiful! I have spent time there for work and leisure. ❤
I am so glad you know it. Thanks for watching!
This is outstanding, timely, and very needed. It looks like a wonderful trip to Canda. Thank you for this.
Thank you so much! You’re the best.
As one who writes to family regularly, I find that another benefit of journaling is that I've said to the future reader what they can choose to read, rather than ambushing family with hospital chaplain griefs that were better dealt with elsewhere. This goes beyond respecting HIPAA confidentiality. which, of course, I maintain. Thank you for these thoughts, HJ.
Thanks so much! I think it’s great that you keep in touch with them. I just started writing notes to my daughter. I can say sweet things to her and she can practice her reading. Thanks!
@@HemingwayJones Wonderful! They will be part of her foundation of love and joy.
So glad to see you have found something to fight the battle with.
Thank you and thanks for watching.
Thanks HJ, I’m not ashamed or afraid to admit this hits home for me.
Thanks Man, I am right there with you.
Really inspiring video. I know for me depression just feels chemical and I have a hard time pulling myself out of the darkness using logic… but journaling gives me a moment by moment “listening ear” to hear my struggles without judgment. Love your channel, sir. You continue to amaze me.
Thank you very much, My Friend. I appreciate your being here. Journaling keeps me going as well. All the best.
Best one yet, brother. Dead center in the ten ring.
Thanks so much, My Friend! Happy New Year!
Aww! Hemingway! You did it again! I was in Quebec City several years ago and some of the places you walked were familiar to me. But I was super excited at 7:13 when you and your daughter walked past the Cochon Dingue (on your left), an awesome restaurant where I ate. I totally agree with you. I journal every day with my favorite fountain pens and Leuchtturm dot grids (not quite as impressive as your beautiful leather ones, but I like the paper), and yes, the days are finally growing longer. We've gained 7 minutes and 25 seconds since the shortest day of the year, December 21st!!! 🎉Thanks again for a great video!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed QC as much as I. Thanks for the kind words on this video. It means a lot to me. And of course we had lunch there! Love that place. Lapine Sauturn as well. Thanks so much!
Allo @HemingwayJones lovely B-roll and Erik Satie BGM. Very Francophile mood. Yes SAD is real as are other forms of depression. Take care. Yes journaling or writing certainly can be liberating. Have a healthy 2024.
Thanks so much for your kind comment! I wish you all the best for 2024! Thanks for watching.
This holiday season has hit me more than usual. Thank you. I'm going to take your advice.
I am so sorry to hear that. I hope this was a pleasant distraction. This Channel is here for you. Thanks for all of your generous support!
Oh wow, you did such an incredible job of capturing the magic of Old Quebec City! I have had to watch several times and the first viewing I was too distracted by all the beautiful images. Really appreciate this topic and some practical suggestions too, thanks so much, Hemingway!
Thank you so much for watching! Thank you for the kind words!
You're a true artist, HJ, I must say.
Best wishes from Romania,
Paul M.
Thank you very much!
Another thoughtful and generous post. I’m sure sharing your own experience is very helpful to many people. Hoping you and your family have a great Holiday!
Thank you very much! Happy New Year to you!
Hi H.J. The journal save me to. Already 20 years algo I start in this aventure when fountain pen, paper and ink walk with me in my sign. I love your outfit dark academia. 😊😊😊
Thank you very much! I appreciate your watching and for being here. Thank you!
Thanks HJ! You reminded me that I've not touched my journal yet today, and was avoiding doing so, because that first "I feel..." was proving a stumbling block, as I was trying not to accept something. But it helped to get it out on paper, and the issue isn't an issue at all now. 😀
that is wonderful to hear. I am so glad this resonated with you. Thanks so much for letting me know.
Great video HJ. I cannot remember where I heard but whenever I start to feel anxious about the future or ruminate on the past I remind myself to “keep my mind where my feet are” - in the present! Journaling helps me slow my thoughts down and take an objective look at my feelings. To question what lies behind them and test if my mind and feet are in the same place. Thanks again.
Thank you for the wonderful comment! Thanks for being here!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Most of us certainly need to orient ourselves towards a better place and I do believe it starts with getting our thoughts, fears and desires down and out of our heads. All the best. Looking forward to more great videos.
Thank you, Luis! I appreciate the comment and you watching! There are many more videos like this to come.
It's truly bewildering to me that people choose to live places that have winter.
I love Winter! I seek it out. I could live in a frozen world without issue. Thanks for watching!
Hello there Hemmingway Jones! I'm not normally one to comment on videos, preferring to be a silent observer. However, your video was fascinating and really insightful. Although I'm a dip pen writer as opposed to a fountain pen one, I enjoyed hearing your love and passion for writing and journaling as a whole. There is a real power in putting pen to paper, which is sometimes hard to explain and at times, indescribable too. But the relief and the liberation one feels, as the thoughts from the mind flow to the pen and onto the pages, is beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us all, the healing power of journaling and it's lovely to know how much it helps you, in combating the thoughts and feelings that sometimes intrude the mind. Keep up the fantastic work!
Thank you so much for the generous and kind comment. I sincerely appreciate it. Thank you so much for being here and for watching. I hope to hear from you again! I will need to step up my game to inspire you to. I wish you well!
Simply amazing! The finest cinemas on the joys found in writing, are all right here. I love your presentations like this, they are themselves a perfect elixir for seasonal sadness!
Thank you so much for the kind comment! I appreciate the encouragement. Thank you!
Thank you for this video and everything you do on your channel. This is something that I need to do more often, since it has helped me in the past, so I know it works.
Best wishes to you and your family.
Thank you very much for the kind comment.I appreciate it and am so glad you are here. Thanks and Happy New Year to you and yours!
Beautiful video; you touched on something extremely important -- that our subjective experience of life is completely, totally, and in all other ways a function of the thoughts that seem real to us.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind words. Thanks!
Courageous video HJ!
Thank you! Thanks so much for watching!
Gorgeous video! I like all the information as it reminds me of what I can and should be doing. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by everything it is difficult to write.
Thanks so much, Judy. I am glad that it resonated. This Channel is here for you.
Well said Sir.
Thank you very much!
This video was a reminder of how you got me into journaling and how it truly helped me to express my thoughts down in writing. It also gave me an excuse to practice my handwriting every day. Although I have never been diagnosed with seasonal Depression while living in Florida LOL, I feel bad for those who do. Bless you in this new year.
Thanks very much, My Friend. I hope that you are feeling well.
Yes the surgery went well and I am healing up fast, but not food-wise. I am starting soft foods on Thursday from Pureed meat and basically everything. But, it is getting easier. I have lost 12 pounds since surgery.
That is absolutely wonderful to hear! @@johnmanuel2980
Really needed this right now! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for watching.
@@HemingwayJones Thank you for always answering!! Squeeze youor beautiful girls for me!!!
Dziękujemy.
Thank you so much! I appreciate the support! Thank you!
So helpful. I appreciate it. I too suffer from seasonal depression. When it’s warm and the sun is out I’m always writing outside, so it’s rough when it’s the long winter days.
Another excellent production- the imagery, editing and pacing are superb. And as the next commenter noted, it is so refreshing that your channel is not merely a collection of pen reviews, but a picture of life itself and the way that pens and journaling fit into the deeper thoughts and philosophies which you clearly express. I sometimes wonder if you are -among other things - a student of the Stoics as your own wisdom corresponds to many of their teachings Finally, I love your emphasis on your family and your joy at being with them immersing yourself in life with them... bless you.
Thank you so much! This is so kind of you to say and I am so glad that this Channel resonates with you. It makes me so happy.
I wouldn't say that I am a student of the Stoics, but I do enjoy Epictetus and Stoicism-light like Marcu Aurelius.
Thanks so much!
I adore the quality of this video, well crafted indeed !
Thank you!
Herr Jones, Thank you for shedding light on the issue of depression, especially for men. It's often seen as a weakness in our culture for men to admit that they are depressed, which is truly unfortunate. Personally, I have found journaling to be beneficial, and I have been clinically depressed for most of my adult life. Even in my retirement, I still need to be diligent in managing my condition.
I appreciate your clear and influential work addressing this issue on your platform. I wish you and your family all the best as you continue to share your journey through life. I admire your work on your channel and eagerly anticipate your upcoming videos. With Admiration Kelly Keith Dunn
Hello My Friend! Thank you so much for this kind and encouraging note. I hope that you are doing OK. I know it is a continual struggle, but I am so glad that you are seeing benefits and I am standing there with you.
This reminds me to get writing on another video like this one. Thank you!
@@HemingwayJones 4:46 PM I would love to write a letter and discuss Depression and men. But as a retired man living on social security, I can't give to the higher echelon of contributors. Whether by letter or some other means I would love to be part of your resources on this important subject. PM me if you want my address.
Besides useful videos about fountain pens, I am so pleased to listen to you. I study English and in my opinion you have an amazing pronunciation and a rich vocabulary, so I wrote down a few phrases)
You are so kind. Thank you very much! I am so glad you are enjoying this. I strive to be quotable. Thank you!
What a great piece and thank you for sharing your process. Don’t think that I have any mental health issues right now, but having said that, I do feel the need and the desire to want to start journaling. I just bought a new MontBlanc pen this week that I am just starting to use and I have a small writing journal and I’m going to make the time. I love your idea of getting out and enjoying new experiences. I’m going to start this weekend. Thank you.
Thank you for watching. I am happy to have inspired you. Which Montblanc did you pick up?
@@HemingwayJones Added the 146 solitaire blue hour fountain pen in a medium to complete the set.
Thank you for this useful and warm video!
Thank you very much! I appreciate your watching it.
05:14 are those moose skin gloves? Been trying to get my hands on some, but here in Sweden the hunters just bury the skin with the rest of the cadaver, as demand for moose skin is too low for them to bother.
They are actually goat. They are very hearty and very warm. Thanks!
@@HemingwayJones Ah, cool. I've gotten the idea that "yellow leather gloves" equals moose skin. Hestra has yellow moose skin gloves, and king Charles XII of Sweden (1682-1718) always wore his yellow moose skin gloves, during the 20 year Great Northern War.
These were from LL Bean.
I’m a behind on my UA-cam watching. Thank you for sharing your insight on this. I live in the Midwest (Iowa) and seasonal depression is a thing in this area of the US too. I have stuggled with it to varying degrees over the years. I noticed that you mentioned the word “persevere” in your video. It’s my word of the year that I chose for 2024 also…interesting. Again, thank you and take care Hemingway.
Thanks so much! I love that we focused on the same word. I use that because I prefer it over the concept of “battling.” I feel like some things can only be endured. Thanks so much for watching and for the nice comment.
@@HemingwayJones Yes, I agree. Perseverance, I think, has a more empowering feel to it than just living in survival mode, if that makes sense.
Yes! I agree. It’s not easy. But, we are in it together. @@dawnackerman6471
Yes! I agree, but at least we are in it together. @@dawnackerman6471
I personally feel more uplifted when the days are shorter but I understand I'm not like most people.
That is interesting. Thanks for watching.
Notice you write on different paper and in different notebooks in various video scenes. Do you collate these & if so how?
Hello! So when I am out and about, I carry smaller notebooks. I recopy the important parts into my larger journal. It's not the best system, but it works for me. Thanks so much, My Friend! I hope all is well.
@@HemingwayJonesThat sounds like a very sensible approach that also gives you a way to process the parts of your day worth noting. I imagine that reviewing your carry-alongs also brings other write-worthy aspects of the day back up to the front of your mind.
I've actually found that I have to go to bed every night and tell my brain, "Okay, you need to let me sleep now. Stop spinning in circles, and if I wake up in the middle of the night, don't start trying to quote-unquote-help by shoving things to worry about at me. I'm just waking up at 3am because that's what my body wants to do, and you're fishing around for a logical reason for it, and there isn't one. Go back to sleep." I literally consciously tell myself this every night before I go to bed, and if I forget, I will wake up and start spinning excuses for anxiety.
I actually found that I have to look skeptically at the things my mind tells me whenever one of these things is true: when my intellectual side is trying to come up with an emotional reaction, or my emotional side is trying to come up with a logical conclusion. The intellectual side is good at conclusions, and the emotional side is good at reactions, but each occasionally tries to do the other's job. And that's when I have to pull the brake handle and tell my head to calm down, press the pause button, and take a deep breath.
A friend of mine once told me -- and she was right -- that just because you think or feel something doesn't mean it's true. I didn't really get comfortable with that until I sussed out what I described above, that whenever one part of your whole self is trying to do a job best left to another part, that's when you should be skeptical of whatever it is you're telling yourself.
I love this comment. I have some Live shows that sound a bit like this. Some of my process of bouncing back from depression was admitting that I think and feel some things that may or may not be true. Sometimes I have to overrule myself with my higher mind. Thanks so much!
Love your channel. Would love to know if you have ever listened to the band called Tindersticks, I have most of their albums but their first one really reminds me of the Dark Academia you explore in your channel. I already had the decor and everything until learning is was an actual aesthetic from watching you
Hello Jane! Thank you very much for the kind words about my Channel. This means the world to me. Thank you. Sadly, I do not know that band, but I’ll check them out. I mostly listen o podcasts. I am so glad you are enjoying the Dark Academic themed videos. They may be my favorites. Thanks for the great comment.
love it! :)
Thank you!!
PS - your daughter dancing with the maple leaf has this Canuck beaming!!
The Leaf Dance! Yes! That video was edited around that performance of hers. Love it! It’s the uplifting point of the video with Ode to Joy leading to it. Thanks!
thanks
My Pleasure. Thank you for watching.
I get very depressed during spring and summer but winter I am very happy and full of life I know that sounds odd
I am glad for you. Both affect me harshly. Much better to be happy!
Mr. Jones,
Thank you for continuing to take us with you on your journeys, both the geographical ones and the psychological. Both are beautiful.
What do people do with their old journals? It has occurred to me that I am not particularly young any longer and am much closer to my death than my birth. Whatever journals I leave behind will be read by my family. Since I did not always fill the pages with wit worthy of Oscar Wilde nor with expressions of joy and gratitude, I’m starting to gather them together to decide their fate. How do other folks think about preserving, culling, or destroying their journals?
Hello Ruth! This is a great comment. I am going to jot this down and mention it on a future live or video. For me, I want them to know me as I was (am). They are all on my shelf and they are welcome to pick it up and read. I have no secrets between my wife and me. (My daughter is a bit young yet, so I am not considering her for the moment).
Thanks for the insightful comment.
It’s wonderful that you can be so open with your writing with your family. That is a phenomenal gift, one I’m sure you earned.
I have some journals that I will leave for my family. I think my family already knows who I am pretty well (my children are adults), but I also think I’ve written things during difficult times that will not be beneficial for others to read. Perhaps what I need is one of those CIA highlighters.
I look forward to whatever thoughtful offerings you post or video about what becomes of our journals and to what others think, too!
Thank you for sharing the range of your journal practice. I have been doing the Morning Pages ( Julia Cameron) for a couple of months - generally speaking it is a more freeform approach - whatever comes to mind - That has been interesting and helpful to me, but your elaboration provides me the potential for finding a focus. I appreciate your openness in all your presentations, but especially with this topic. - best to you and your family for the rest of 2024!