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Do you keep a diary?

(79 Posts)
Grammaretto Thu 13-Feb-20 08:51:41

I ask because I am impressed by the way some of you can recall the precise date when you first met your partner, or moved house and so on.
I lose track easily and am often trying to remember holidays, which year we went to so and so or that person's name. It gets harder to remember as the years are added.

I do keep all my old date-a -day desk/wall diaries which say that the repair man was due or a dentist appointment. (not very interesting for our descendants)

I can remember all the birthdays without looking them up but will I always?

SaraC Sat 15-Feb-20 23:28:17

Gramaretto - what a wonderful way for your brother to get to know his Father. I kept a diary in my teen years for about three years (my Mother threw them away...) but a dear friend gave me a five year diary a few years back which I have kept. It’s extraordinary, after even this short period of time, to re-read how life has changed for me. I will definitely get another when this runs out. I’ve also made a New Year’s resolution to keep a Gratitude Diary, writing ten things I’m grateful for each day. So far, so good and it’s a lovely time for reflection ...

Grammaretto Sun 16-Feb-20 08:45:30

10 things to be grateful for each day! That is quite a tall order isn't it? smile Do they have to be new things?
A lovely idea SaraC

You are right, my DB found the whole process very liberating. He was a baby when our dad died and got to know him through the diaries as a human being rather than the demi-god he had been told about. A few of DF friends and people mentioned in the diaries were still alive and he made contact with some of them who filled out the stories too. They are all gone now.
I think my point is, you can't know what the future holds but if someone , someday gets comfort from reading your words, it's better not to throw them away. We are grateful that DM kept the diaries. despite not wanting us to read them for years.

Tangerine Sun 16-Feb-20 11:44:28

I have a small one in my handbag and have had one for 30 or so years. They are kept in a cupboard at home and come in very useful for checking when things happened.

Thoughts and feelings are not recorded in them so I wouldn't really care if anyone read them although I would expect someone to ask first - if I was still alive!