Dear Blake,
During my late teens and most of my 20s, I kept journals that filled two full spiral-bound notebooks. I kept them my entire life before reading them for the first time on my recent 70th birthday. I found it to be an enlightening journey through my past on a very personal level, dealing with the highs and lows of those tumultuous years.
I told my youngest son, who is now in the middle of that stage of life and dealing with some of the same things I did, about my journals, and he asked if he could read them. My wife says I should let him, but I’m conflicted about it.
On the one hand, they would show him he’s not the only one who faces these life challenges, which may help him deal with them and in some ways get to know me better.
On the other hand, these are things (some quite intimate) that weren’t intended to be read by someone else, much less my kid. If I do this, then what about my other two adult sons, who have no idea the notebooks exist? Your thoughts?
Signed Frieda,
From Flagstaff, Arizona
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Dear Frieda,
I think it’s incredible that you kept a journal for such a long time. Those can be some valuable memories. and unfortunately it can also be some documented proof of how screwed up you used to be. Such as… . You can reflect on the geeky high school classmate that had a huge crush on you, and you refuse to give him the time of day to, that’s now a sophisticated millionaire that wouldn’t even hire you as a maid. Or, if you didn’t age so well, you can look back a time when you weren’t mistaken as a bag lady. Or, maybe this one. You can reflect on the aspirations you had back in your late teens and early twenties, and accept the fact that you failed at all of your lofty plans. However, it’s entirely possible you can look back in the past, and reflect on the countless memories that causes you to smile, if not outright laugh. But those days are long over. And now, you have to focus on the future, and stop throwing away the funeral brochures that frequently are sent to you through the mail. I hope this helps.
Blake