How and why I journal

For almost 20 years I’ve maintained a journal for my family. I recently met someone interested in this practice, so I’m documenting it here for both them and anyone else that might benefit from it. Why I journal Our memories are not only terrible, but they’re terrible in a particularly insidious way: when something hilarious or interesting happens, the event feels certain to be something you will remember. Sadly, the strength of that conviction bears no relation to the likelihood you will actually remember that moment. This isn’t just a supposition — I have proof! My own family journal now extensively documents nearly two decades of our lives. I often reread portions of this family journal, and frequently rediscover stories which I had completely forgotten. Sometimes I’ll share the rediscovered story on my family chat, and everyone else in the family says that they’d forgotten it too. And for the stories I (or we) do remember, our journal generally includes details we’d forgotten. The…