The What I’ve Learned Today Series

Inspired by …you guessed it — real life. The stuff they don’t teach you in school.

Growing up, Ned’s Declassified was one of my favorite shows. I thought it was the coolest and smartest thing that Ned would document all of his findings and reference his jam-packed composition notebook frequently to help him and his friends during times of distress.

I felt inspired by Suzy Krabgrass because she was the first other Susie I had ever “met.” Needless to say, the show left a lasting impression on me, and even in adulthood, I always think, I should really have my own version of Ned’s life advice, but based on my personal experiences.

(And if you weren’t in the generation that never missed an episode every day after school, I highly recommend you check it out. The concept is fabulous.)

I’ve been a journaling junkie for as long as I can remember. I started my first diary in the 2nd grade with thoughts of schoolboy crushes alongside parental arguments. I still remember reading back the entries, even dated(!) in an effort to rewire mental patterns first curated during my formative years — basically trying to figure out why I think the way I do.

Diaries led to journals with sticky notes taped inside. And at one point, I even developed an integrated labeling system.

My orange journal became a one-stop shop for every important thing I came across in an effort to not have to re-learn valuable life lessons twice.

Once through the pain was enough for me.

From tear-stained pages and doodles to lyrics, to intrusive thoughts, to podcasts I should listen to, and more.

Business ideas, vitamins, meal plans, you name it. If I thunk it, it made its way into The Orange Journal.

But recently, I decided to start a sequence “Things I’ve learned today.”

How could I have not thought of that before? How absurd? Why must I go through hardship more than once before learning my lesson? If only I had written it down, I’m certain there’d be no way I’d repeat the same error again!

And so the almost-daily, “things I’ve learned today” was born, and WOW was it something.