I love the image of the taped up backpack with the sharpie sign. So intense, so teenage!
I think you did the right thing. I have a couple adolescent journals I’m a little afraid to read (too embarrassing) but once I do my death cleaning in a few years I might follow in your footsteps.
I love everything about this! I have teenage and young adult journals in a box in my attic (along with high school and college writing) and I think I want to just get rid of it all, too. I've lugged all that paper through more moves than I can count, and for what? No one is going to care when I'm gone. No one cares now, not even me. So happy to have the link to a local shredder. Thank you!
Also, I'm with you 100% on posts inspired by inspiration rather than an arbitrary schedule. Also craving time in the world outside my head/the internet. That's what the "subscribe" button is for! Happy to see you in my inbox whenever it's working for you.
The local shredder was GREAT. A job like this seems mundane, but it was actually pretty emotional so I was grateful for the owner's kindness. People are good, you know? And thank you for the encouragement about the timing change. My experience of writing online -- not just the "what" but the "why" and "how" -- have shifted this last year. I LOVE writing and the thoughtful conversation here, and this lets me focus there rather than on an arbitrary schedule.
Wow, bold and inspiring move! I similarly have a box full of old journals that I don't know I want to take the time to read. I suspect it would be a case of "Same Shit Different Decade" (love that!). Husband & I hope to downsize next year and are thinning out the crap. I think I will follow your lead - thanks for charting the course!
Heh heh. It's humbling to read those old journals. It's not too much to say this feels like a fresh start. Downsizing!! To be discussed! I can't wait to hear more!
I love reading this! There are BOXES of my old journals at my parents' house (I have faithfully journaled all my life starting in 5th grade) and I have not confronted but a few of them (and did throw them away - I don't love reliving all my teenage emotion!). Although I love to capture my life in so many ways I don't really enjoy reading my old journals in the way I love reading through my old blog posts. I don't know yet if I'd ever want my kids to read my old journals...maybe it would be interesting (and I imagine I would be gone so I couldn't worry about it)...but then maybe, like you said, they are really only for me. I am going to be pondering this and appreciate you sharing this.
I'm really glad this sparked something in you. Part of the relief for me is realizing that artifacts like this would take on a life of their own after I'm gone. I just don't need all that stuff to become part of my kids' stories.
Thank you for this. I wonder: do you feel the same way about decades-old correspondence? I have been going through boxes of handwritten letters from my high school and college years. I'm mostly sure I'll shred all but a few. But there's a part of me that hesitates to shred examples of the lost art of handwritten letters, maudlin and awkward as most of the correspondence is.
A while back my parents passed on a box of old letters I had saved in their attic. I did recycle most of them but I also kept a few, esp cards I had received from my grandparents as a child. They’ve been gone for quite a while now and it really touched me to see their handwriting again, something I had consciously not thought about for many years. Seeing and remembering their specific handwriting is worth keeping a small box of handwritten letters and cards.
What a thoughtful question. It's a case by case thing, but generally letters to me feel different. They were always intended for someone else to read. I think letters and cards are very special and a lovely memento.
I have SO many old journals that I cringe to look at now - and cringe even harder considering them potentially falling into my kids’ or other family members’ hands! Like you, I have just been stalling because I literally didn’t know how to get rid of them, but an industrial shredder is such a fantastic idea. I am doing this soon.
I have a shoebox of shredded papers from my college journals because I had thoughts like you did at one point. I always thought I might make an art project out of them—and I still might—but they're just taking up space in my closet. And yes, posting by topic when it comes sounds good. Do what you need to do!
I have been doing lots of decluttering as I prepare for retirement/moving and have gotten rid of letters, papers, journals, etc. This sentence resonated with me: "they were never meant to be read by anyone other than me." Amen!
I love the image of the taped up backpack with the sharpie sign. So intense, so teenage!
I think you did the right thing. I have a couple adolescent journals I’m a little afraid to read (too embarrassing) but once I do my death cleaning in a few years I might follow in your footsteps.
Best wishes to you and your mama.
Thanks for the good wishes, Rebecca.
I love everything about this! I have teenage and young adult journals in a box in my attic (along with high school and college writing) and I think I want to just get rid of it all, too. I've lugged all that paper through more moves than I can count, and for what? No one is going to care when I'm gone. No one cares now, not even me. So happy to have the link to a local shredder. Thank you!
Also, I'm with you 100% on posts inspired by inspiration rather than an arbitrary schedule. Also craving time in the world outside my head/the internet. That's what the "subscribe" button is for! Happy to see you in my inbox whenever it's working for you.
The local shredder was GREAT. A job like this seems mundane, but it was actually pretty emotional so I was grateful for the owner's kindness. People are good, you know? And thank you for the encouragement about the timing change. My experience of writing online -- not just the "what" but the "why" and "how" -- have shifted this last year. I LOVE writing and the thoughtful conversation here, and this lets me focus there rather than on an arbitrary schedule.
Wow, bold and inspiring move! I similarly have a box full of old journals that I don't know I want to take the time to read. I suspect it would be a case of "Same Shit Different Decade" (love that!). Husband & I hope to downsize next year and are thinning out the crap. I think I will follow your lead - thanks for charting the course!
Heh heh. It's humbling to read those old journals. It's not too much to say this feels like a fresh start. Downsizing!! To be discussed! I can't wait to hear more!
I love reading this! There are BOXES of my old journals at my parents' house (I have faithfully journaled all my life starting in 5th grade) and I have not confronted but a few of them (and did throw them away - I don't love reliving all my teenage emotion!). Although I love to capture my life in so many ways I don't really enjoy reading my old journals in the way I love reading through my old blog posts. I don't know yet if I'd ever want my kids to read my old journals...maybe it would be interesting (and I imagine I would be gone so I couldn't worry about it)...but then maybe, like you said, they are really only for me. I am going to be pondering this and appreciate you sharing this.
I'm really glad this sparked something in you. Part of the relief for me is realizing that artifacts like this would take on a life of their own after I'm gone. I just don't need all that stuff to become part of my kids' stories.
Thank you for this. I wonder: do you feel the same way about decades-old correspondence? I have been going through boxes of handwritten letters from my high school and college years. I'm mostly sure I'll shred all but a few. But there's a part of me that hesitates to shred examples of the lost art of handwritten letters, maudlin and awkward as most of the correspondence is.
A while back my parents passed on a box of old letters I had saved in their attic. I did recycle most of them but I also kept a few, esp cards I had received from my grandparents as a child. They’ve been gone for quite a while now and it really touched me to see their handwriting again, something I had consciously not thought about for many years. Seeing and remembering their specific handwriting is worth keeping a small box of handwritten letters and cards.
This is lovely. I treasure my last birthday card from both of my parents. Seeing Dad's handwritten signature there makes me feel loved.
What a thoughtful question. It's a case by case thing, but generally letters to me feel different. They were always intended for someone else to read. I think letters and cards are very special and a lovely memento.
I have SO many old journals that I cringe to look at now - and cringe even harder considering them potentially falling into my kids’ or other family members’ hands! Like you, I have just been stalling because I literally didn’t know how to get rid of them, but an industrial shredder is such a fantastic idea. I am doing this soon.
Once you get familiar with your local shredder, it kicks off a desire to shred MORE MORE MORE.
I’m inspired to do the same.
When I worked at a university a long time ago, we had to shred old senior projects. We used a mini-wood chipper. It worked really well!
paperchase = great!
They really are.
Inspired to shred some of my own old journals that I have never known what to do with: Thank you!
I have a shoebox of shredded papers from my college journals because I had thoughts like you did at one point. I always thought I might make an art project out of them—and I still might—but they're just taking up space in my closet. And yes, posting by topic when it comes sounds good. Do what you need to do!
I like the idea of an art project. Little bits of collage. I recall you doing something like that with photos -- illustrating on top of the images?
I have been doing lots of decluttering as I prepare for retirement/moving and have gotten rid of letters, papers, journals, etc. This sentence resonated with me: "they were never meant to be read by anyone other than me." Amen!
It was sort of a revelation. Because it felt wrong at first to destroy those journals. But when I thought about it this way, something opened up.