My Grandfather wrote in his diary every day, except for the day my Grandmother died, and the couple of days afterwards. Most of the time it was just short notes about the weather and what he did on the farm. Later on it was what he did in the garden and who came to visit him. He never wrote anything 'personal', but they are still amazing to read.
My Father, also being a farmer and a contractor, does the same thing. With little notes to jog his memory about things. I don't know if he keeps them year after year as my Grandfather did.
I started writing in a journal when I was in school, but mostly the girly teenage angst that most of us had at that time. Embarrassing to read back through, but important to have documented ( I suppose! ). The one containing the most outrageous years of my life was unfortunately destroyed be a fire.
My writing has been almost non existent for the last couple of years, despite many exciting things happening. I tend to keep a travel journal when I am on holiday, but am now reduced to keeping tickets to plays and movies, etc and sticking them in my journal when I remember, along with writing what I can remember about the surrounding events. I hope this will be enough to trigger my memories in old age.
So, after all of that long winded boringness, has anyone else kept a written record of their lives? Any particular years or events missing? Or any particular reason you write in them?
Re: Does anyone write in a journal or diary?
I used to write religiously...same thing, teenage angst - yadda, yadda, yadda - but I did write a lot after my father passed...my doctor wanted me to keep a dream journal as I was having some disturbing dreams etc. I try to keep up with the journalling, and have the desire to do so, but haven't seemed to follow through with that. Thanks for posting this! I am now inspired to get back on the journal train and I think that I will go pull mine out and dust it off (literally!!)
There was a blog that I wrote in religiously up until the end of last year. It was weird because I didn't feel any inspiration from the blog, so I started a new one and it's been all good.
I'm missing any wedding pictures. I never got around to actually talking about the wedding, but I'm thinking of writing up a post about the wedding on our anniversary.
I write just because it's a creative outlet and I love looking back on what I've written.
Do the creep.