when you come across an old diary, do you have to read it?

[mopinko]

moving out of my studio, and getting bogged down with some emotional writings that I am packing.
seems irresistable, tho.

[Broken_Hero]

1. I usually do

I came across one last year that was roughly 13yrs old...I can't believe how dumb I was back then, :D

:hide:

[MorningGlow]

2. I have packed mine away for exactly that reason

Several years ago I dug out one of my old journals from a particularly emotional, drama-filled time and couldn't stop reading it. I "fell into" it so badly that I reverted right back to that era and felt trapped in those emotions, just as intensely as if I were back there again. Freaky. It took me more than a week to shake it off. I haven't opened any of my old journals since. (And even if I didn't read an "intense" one, I'd just get disgusted by all the self-centered navel-gazing I did! :P)

[mopinko]

7. yeah, this stuff was from a tough time. lots of loose ends, too.

feel a like maybe my foot is stuck in some quick sand. but i have made it this far, i am sure i will be fine.
part of moving on, tho, for sure.

[pitohui]

3. yes but i'm sorry to say i lost most of them in a natural disaster

i did find one from an epic cross=country trip i made as a teen, and what i did was i transcribed it onto a (hidden, passworded) online blog so that my last diary from those years wouldn't be lost to another storm

i'm amazed at what i learned -- it's amazing how you put the bad things out of mind and only remember the good things!

some things i did, where now i was wondering, why did i do that? it is much clearer to me, because some of the things i just chose not to think about again (such as being sexually harassed etc) are put in the diary -- and prob. for that reason, so i wouldn't forget how hard it was -- adult people gloss things over and try to focus on the positive, which is certainly a good thing to do, but you lose the self knowledge of understanding yourself at that age if you conveniently forget the bad stuff that was happening...

yes, teens are all emo and whiny but they also know how to appreciate things they're doing for the first time

i'm glad this diary was saved, v sorry abt those that weren't

also "how dumb i was back then" -- for example, i noticed right away in reading this diary that a certain boy was obv. crushing on me but it went right past me in those days, oh well! an opportunity missed!

[cleveramerican]

4. how can you not?

Boy oh boy I am so much wiser now than way back then, feels so good.

[suninvited]

5. mine or somebody elses? NT

[mopinko]

8. mine

but i admit i have read a couple of my kids. i would never say or do anything about anything that i read. ever. but if you write it down, it is there, isn't it? i suppose some day my kids will have to clean up after me, and surely they will read it.

[Moondog]

6. Satchel Paige, that great American philosopher

once said "don't look back, something may be gaining on you."

Words to live by ....