Do You Keep A Diary of Secrets In Your 30s?
I’m almost thirty-two years old, and I still keep a diary. It’s one of the best decisions of my life.
Twenty years ago, when I was almost twelve years old, I used to journal a lot. I had one of those diaries that had a small lock and key on the cover, that looked more like toys than actual security measures. I was always more sensitive than my older siblings. This sensitivity translated into writing and I liked it, despite the fact my handwriting was terrible.
I didn’t write stories or poetry like I do today, and I also didn’t write about love or anything like that. I used to write dreams and fantasies about magic or just some thoughts, usually about TV shows or books. I loved writing about these things (Spoiler: I still do).
One day, I came back from school to find my diary’s lock ripped open and broken. On the first page of my diary, just under the cover, I found the following words written in my older brother’s handwriting: “I read everything.”
I wrote thoughts in there that I had never shared with anyone. Having someone read those thoughts made me doubt my little diary, and I abandoned it at some point.
I mostly don’t remember anything meaningful from the years that I didn’t journal, which is sad…
