If you keep a journal, do you think anyone other than you will ever read it?

Oh yes. That is why I don’t put certain things in.

When the kids grew older into adults they asked what they were like as young children and activities, toys did they have etc

I wished that I had started writing my intermittent journals more often and much earlier.
As it is I have accounts of our picnics,and events briefly written .

It wasn’t until in my later years that I wrote of daily thoughts, events, occurrences, funny incidents etc .

I have ten years of that in several journals that really need to be typed out as I see the ink on some have smudges on them.

I had glued, taped, and even stapled items to the pages of interest at that time with pressed flower petals,letter attached,post cards,fabric and photograph,even tiny charms/jewelry etc

Its a kind of small time capsule .

I have written all my life. It was like a need. My first official adult journal was given to me by my sis in law when I was expecting for the first time. I wrote in it daily. That was 35 years ago.

@Dutchess_lll
One day it would make good reading for your descendants.
Make a copy ( blurb.com) and keep it in a safe place.

I have rewritten the entries into Word. They’re saved to disc, to the computer and backed up by Carbonite at least once a day. Not to mention hundreds of other entries created with the advent of computers.

I do have journals. If I’m in compos mentis, I’ll probably destroy them at some point – or at least parts of them. Some that are about them I may leave for my sons to find.

Compos mentis?

^^It means If she is of sound mind. Or, in control mentally, clearheaded.

Thx.

I’ve kept a diary since I was 15 years old and from 1975 I think I have covered every day of my life. I am aware that my children may read what I have written so occasionally, very occasionally, I may modify what I write but I don’t write for anyone but myself.

I started an exercise journal in 1981 in order to help to become a faster runner. I never stopped doing it. It’s now a big stack of journals that fell of every workout and every race with all the good, bad and ugly (the victories, struggle, failures and injuries). Has a lot of detail of calisthenics, weight workouts, travel to races, people and crazy things that happened. Add up all the miles and I’ve ran, hiked and paddled an equivalent of 3½ times around the Earth at its circumference.

I didn’t write anything in my journal for anyone else to read. It is mostly a bunch of raw data that mean a lot to me but nothing to anyone else.

I don’t keep a journal per se, but on my computer I have a few places where I keep notes. It can be anything from a description of a dream to an idea for my writing or thoughts about an attractive person I saw. My intent is for no one to ever read these notes; they are quite private. I recently discovered some notes I had kept as a teenager. I was so embarrassed by their existence that I deleted them, not even caring if I ever see them again.