100 things

I collect ideas for journal writing. The latest of these, which I shared with my journal writing class is the List of 100. I can't say who coined it. I do know that I have done lists of my own, but I often go to 50. First you come up with a topic. Anything. 100 things I am scared of. 100 things I am grateful for. 100 things I want for my birthday. 100 things I could live without. 100 things I could do for a living. The proponents of the list of 100 say that the breadth of the list, done in one sitting, is what makes it work. You go beyond the scope of normal answers and get to some pretty creative thinking and may even crack your sub-conscious mind. Use it to solve problems. Use it to brainstorm. Use it to crack through mid-winter depression. A list of 50 things I am grateful for works for me every time. I am sure 100 would make the effect even more profound. If that isn't enough, I just read an article in O Magazine by Martha Beck about how one woman, Alice Gorman, used the list of 100 to find love. She wrote 100 qualities she wanted her man to have, put the list away, and...well...it's a feel good Oprah article--what do you expect? She a landed the man is writing a novel. Miracles aside, it still makes sense as a tool to have in your journal-writing tool chest. If nothing else, it is a mental game to keep your mind sharp and your writing open to possibility. Speaking of which...I'm off to make my birthday list!