I have had a Livejournal for nearly ten years now. Have I written regularly for that length of time? Of course not. There is a good lot in there though, and I feel really lucky to have recorded a snapshot of my life in that way. These days, it's more like I write when I feel that I really don't want to forget something, whether it be when an occasion happened or the exact wording of something that was said. Other times I end up ranting about something that's current in my life... usually school-related. I feel like memories are definitely in my mind, but to have writings to reflect on makes the recall so much easier.
So... over the past few years I have really fallen off the wagon on this. I keep a day planner, which I have been really excellent at updating and making notes in. Not just about what I plan, but what I did, where I went, and what I want to remember. Who I was with, and what we saw or ate. What I bought that day, or reminders about the near future. I have had several failed attempts at paper journaling, which has resulted in a rather large collection of half- or quarter-filled notebooks.
Do I wish I had more written accounts of the past few years? Sure do. But, there's nothing I can do about that now. The only thing to do is try and pick up where I've left off. The past few years for me have had a lot of personal and private anxieties and frustrations: there have been ups and downs. I've learned lessons, and it sure would be nice to have that documented.
Perhaps the downs were, subconsciously, an influence as to why I didn't write. ...and now, in the length of time it has taken me to write this much, I have already forgotten the really good line that made me sit up in bed and think, you best write this down.
Maybe I don't need to reproduce the exact words for whatever that burst of insight was.
At least it got me writing.
