The date is important

"Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward." ~Soren Kierkegaard


I found some of the old papers and stories I have written. There were a lot from the high school and junior college years, and less from the later era where IMHO I was writing better work. Grr. But also an unexpected discovery: I dug out things I don't even remember writing. It's strange to read an emotional essay that I created but don't really recall. Did I forget it because once I wrote about it, it's "out there" and I felt like I could let it go? Or did I forget it because I wrote too honestly about it, and it's haunting to read the rawness of my freefall writing and I'd rather not go there at this moment? ;-)

I almost always date cards that I send, notes I write, photos I take. When I reread something I wrote, I make sure to check the date and try to associate it with other life events from that time period. For context, I suppose, and also a mental review of the situation so I can view it with a different perspective. I had to chuckle at some of what I've written, because it was so awful--corny, cliche, predictable, forgettable. But there is also some stuff in there that isn't half bad, and seems to have held up over the years. I say this with the happiness of having written some things I'm very proud of. Still, I have to work hard resist the urge to edit and revise everything I've ever written. I always think of all the ways I could improve the writing.

But it's better to write new stuff rather than keep editing the old, I think, and no sense trying to change what's already on the page. I read things that make me cringe, and I don't agree now with some of what I believed before; other things haven't changed much at all. It's interesting to review the opinions and beliefs I held when I was younger, braver, and not a parent. That's why pinning down the date is important to me. I like to recognize the significance of things as I look back. In a weird way, it helps me keep moving forward.