Writing to Yourself

I've been kind of cleaning my room this summer (it's an on and off project) and have been coming across various diaries I kept as recently as my year in Israel and as far back as third grade. Then I thought about this post that I wrote a while ago. Finding things that you've written when you were little is a bit like uncovering a secret within yourself. It's funny to see how you viewed the world as a little kid and how similar yet different you are now.

Here's something I wrote when I was in third grade (spelling and grammar errors kept for fun):

February 5, 1995

Today I thought about how I like being the oldest and how I don't like being the oldest. I like being the oldest because I get to stay up late. (Sometimes.) I get my own room. I get my own new furniture and I get to hold Mavis (my baby brother) by myself. I don't like being the oldest because my little brother and sister (Trademark and Straight Man) bother me alot. And when we watch t.v. they get to watch what they want and I don't. Also on shabas Trademark (my little sister) gets to eat supper befor my father comes home from shool and I don't even if I'm starving.

Okay, this one was an entry for my teacher (we had to keep a journal in class):

February 12, 1995

How come I always have to write in my Journal every friday? Sometimes it's anoying. Maby sometimes I will not have anything to write. If I do that's great. But if I don't then I'll be in trouble. Why can't I write in my Journal every other friday?

Hmmmm. I was shy as anything in third grade but I guess I felt comfortable enough complaining in my own journal. :)

But then, of course, me being me, I kept my journal into the summer when school was already over. This, apparently, was how I dealt with bullies (I was good friends with a girl who used to bully me a lot):

August 4, 1995

Dear Journal,

Today I might go to bossy Friend X's house. I have a plan. If Friend X get's bossy then I'll get bossy too. I hope my plan works.

Erachet

And, interestingly enough, I wrote an entire book in the back of the journal called A Guide Book About Handeling Bullies.

I was a very interesting little kid, I'm discovering.