Many people enjoy keeping journals to mark the events of their days, months or years. Since time passes quickly, memory is fickle, even a trickster at times, a journal is a lovely way to preserve one’s history.
I, however, do not keep a journal. I keep my life in my upper kitchen cupboards. I’ve been doing this for many years now. It’s a joyful system and one which keeps memories from getting muddled.
I’ve always regarded the inside of my eye-level kitchen cupboard doors as being ideal bulletin boards. But the advent of cameras on phones and iPads opened up an entirely new dimension for me. With no cost for film and only a slight cost for printing (9 cents or less), photos can mark the progress of my days and seasons. Plus, my cupboards are most accommodating. I have four doors, meaning each can hold three months’ worth of pictures. January, February and March are next to the stove: the rest of the year marches down the remaining three doors on the adjacent wall.
Every time I open a door for dishes or food items, happy memories greet me. The pictures stay up for a year and then are filed away in a dated envelope.
This system has a special benefit. It’s a reminder that life should be lived fully every day and season. We create our individual timelines. And we also create our own happiness.
Wondrous.
Your curatorial commitment is inspiring.
cool idea
Coo idea.
Mary, I have been keeping “The Year in Review” since 1968. For many years it amounted to a one-page list of what happened that year. I always composed it between Christmas and New Year’s. Now it is often 3 or 4 pages long. I probably refer to it around 7 to 10 times a year to get the correct date. Great piece3e of Literature. Jim