Love,
happiness, excitement, nervousness, hatred, anger, frustration and a lot more –
my journal is a ‘pensieve’ that holds all my emotions besides my memories. I
was in seventh standard when I started writing journal, which was in the year
2001. To be honest, I haven’t been able to visit it daily (something I’ve wished
to do since a long time). But till today, my journal has been my only friend to
stay with me through thick and thin.
Life
doesn’t go easy on anyone but, it does grant a means of survival to everyone.
This means of survival, be it a friend, hobby or anything, helps you to make it
through the day. For me, it is my journal. This takes me back to the first episode
of The Vampire Diaries’ very first season where Elena Gilbert sits beside a window
and addresses her journal as ‘Dear Diary’. Yes, a diary is one of the dearest
things to its owner. And why not? After all, this is the only place where
incidents and feelings are entered unadulterated. There is no place for
pretense.
However,
when I started my journal, my purpose wasn’t exactly to report incidents. My
sole purpose of writing journal was to improve my writing skills. But we got connected
eventually. When I sat with it, all I could see was those blank pages eagerly
waiting to be penned down with all I have in my heart and mid. When we were
together, it listened to me so patiently. Anne Frank is so right. Paper is more
patient than men.
From
seventh standard till now, both my life and I have changed. In the last twelve
years, I have metamorphosed from a nervous teenager to a confident spinster. So
many things have changed except my love for my journal and its respect for my
emotions. There have been times when I neglected it, even abandoned it for
months. But, it never complained and every time I was back, I found the same
warmth and love.
I am and
will always be grateful to my journal for so many things. I’ll be grateful to
it for helping me to maintain my integrity when other people have been losing
theirs at such rapid pace. I’ll be grateful to it for helping me to believe in
myself when others mercilessly broke my trust. My journal is and will always be
my best friend.
P.S. –
Before you start writing journal, find a good place to hide it, especially from
your siblings. ;) J
