I started keeping a journal at the end of my senior year of high school. My girlfriend persuaded my friend Aaron and me to buy small leather-bound notebooks claiming we could document our experiences and feelings without the fear of filling large pages.

He bought the brown notebook and I bought the black one; these became our designated colors for all subsequent notebooks. In the past, I had always had a problem with keeping a journal; I would always give up after a few weeks or months. However, this time was different. Maybe it was because I wasn’t alone in my journaling or maybe it was because I had a lot more to say now that I’m older, but I managed to fill up the little book with 192 pages in about 3 months. I started my second, and current, journal on WPI’s freshman move-in day, August 21. Although I don’t write as frequently now as I used to, I’m beginning to return to my daily activity.

This summer was particularly important for me in developing my personality and identity. I mainly spent time with a core group of friends which allowed me to form deep bonds with each of them individually and also collectively. This was also the summer of my first real relationship; I have almost every moment documented in my journal. I can read my thoughts before we were dating, when we were just friends, and during our relationship. My girlfriend Hannah, the one who encouraged me to keep a journal, came into my life around the same time as this notebook. I am able to look back at the pages and remember what we did together and how I felt about it. It is interesting and entertaining to be able to flip through the pages to a piece entitled “ASDJK;LOPQNZS,” written on June 24, giving detailed description of the first time we held hands. (She grabbed my hand while we were watching The Cheetah Girls). I could also rewind, find May 25, and recall the time I called Hannah, “a really cool person. She’s so chill and so easy to talk to. Idk.”

I never said my writing was particularly poignant. In all honesty, my handwriting looks pretty and artsy, but the pages are filled with random thoughts and poor grammar. I think it adds to the charm and sincerity.

Beyond my relationship, my first journal contains all of my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and descriptions from the summer of 2016. There may be people who think that I prevented myself from fully engaging in my summer because I spent a significant amount of time writing when I could’ve been enjoying it, but I think I was able to experience even more. I gifted myself with memories and activities I might have forgotten if I hadn’t written them down. Thanks to my detailed notes, I have concrete evidence that I did in fact have a great summer filled with laughter and growth and love.