Cup of Inspiration

Do you keep a diary? Is it electronically saved on your device to be easily accessed at any point in the day, or do you keep a pen and notebook handy to capture your thoughts? If you haven’t kept a diary, have you thought about keeping one? Here’s a good reason to start. Today, September 22^nd, we celebrate Dear Diary Day.

People have kept diaries for centuries. Historians will use diaries from the past to learn about significant events. These diaries, though, will also provide a window into the thoughts and feelings of the people impacted by those events. Diaries kept by soldiers during wartime will reveal the fears felt about what lay ahead just before a battle. Diaries kept by widows and widowers will reveal the struggles felt by a tragic loss. Diaries kept by explorers will reveal what they hoped they would find as they ventured into the unknown. Diaries from the past remind us that the historical events we read about in textbooks involved real people with hopes, dreams, and fears.

Today, we do have social media to peer into the lives of our colleagues, friends, family, and even complete strangers. However, social media doesn’t provide a complete picture of a person’s life. When we document a day, an event, or an opinion on social media, we are most likely crafting that post with the intention of capturing “likes” from readers, rather than truly revealing everything we are thinking or feeling. Posting is meant to bring people’s attention to an edited version of ourselves.

While social media is designed to be very public from the start, diaries are designed to be very private. The keeper of a diary can capture what they are feeling at that precise moment, especially if they can’t express those thoughts out loud to others. It is the place where the writer can be their true self, without fear of judgement. Some of those thoughts may one day be freely brought out publicly to their friends and family, or they may stay buried in the pages for the writer to reflect on during their lifetime.

Keeping a diary or a journal can be a great way for a person to capture their innermost thoughts while it is fresh. They can document exactly how they felt when they got that job offer or got that promotion. They can capture how they felt when a child was brought into the world. They can put down on paper or on an electronic page what they feared would be a potential diagnosis from some medical tests.

The writer can then reflect on these journal entries months or even years later. They can reminisce just how much they doubted they would really get into a particular school. They can recollect how desperately they wanted a particular job. They can recall how sure they were that their idea for a new business would succeed. They can remember how much they feared when the doctor confirmed a cancer diagnosis.

Remembering the past can help the writer see how far they have come. They can see how much they have beat the odds. They can recall how they got through past struggles to get through a current one. It’s a storybook they may one day pass on to others to read. Even if it isn’t read by others, the author can still read through their work and reflect.

Keeping a diary or a journal is not about pleasing others or capturing attention. It is about giving you a place to capture what you feel in your heart down on a page (paper or electronic.) It is about being yourself.