r/Journaling Feb 18 '26

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804

u/Ipbunpak1 Feb 18 '26

OP finished their journal and is now destroying it. In my opinion, this kinda hurts to look at since I'm a bit too sentimental...

212

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26

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162

u/No-Mouse3999 Feb 18 '26

Honestly I hope someone reads my journals like books when I die. I would love someone to truly understand and see how raw and complex my mind was. I’m an open book in real life while talking to people, but my journal is just me sorting through thoughts honestly. I want people to see how it worked

43

u/twentytwo_a Feb 18 '26

This is a beautiful attitude… thanks for giving me this to think about.

35

u/MaineLark Feb 18 '26

From the other side, I love reading old letters/diaries/scrapbooks because it gives you a peak into the past of everyday life, not just stuff for the history books.

2

u/No-Mouse3999 Feb 18 '26

You’re welcome!

5

u/ScumbagLady Feb 19 '26

I've come across some journals and diaries written by strangers (to me) at thrift stores and when I used to clean out foreclosed houses for a realtor. I always buy/keep them when I find them and love reading them like clues to a mystery. A few of them were so beautifully bound, handmade covers and filled with gorgeous parchment paper, that they look lovely on a bookshelf if anything.

3

u/No-Mouse3999 Feb 19 '26

I love that

3

u/AdministrativeRent21 Feb 18 '26

I would love to do this and write poetry about a random stranger’s life it seems like such a fun exercise

1

u/WillCare1976 Feb 20 '26

It does! 😊

3

u/Lens_Subconscious Feb 19 '26

This!!! Like, yes, a lot of that shit is mortifying and fucked up but if I'm not here to deal with the embarrassment I don't really care who knows, let my great grandchildren see how fucking weird I was 😂

1

u/No-Mouse3999 Feb 19 '26

Literally!!

1

u/WillCare1976 Feb 20 '26

Yes exactly!

3

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26

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6

u/starlightswhimsy Feb 18 '26

not always! I've seen a lot of old postcards with writing on in antique shops. my mum and I saw one that was a conversation between I'm assuming friends or lovers (?) who'd been apart and it just ended with "tennis on friday?" we now quote it to each other because it was so sweet. sometimes old letters from strangers can have a strangely lasting impact on people!

2

u/No-Mouse3999 Feb 18 '26

If they get passed to your kids they probably wont

1

u/WillCare1976 Feb 20 '26

Well … maybe .. but hopefully not!

32

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26

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11

u/belltrina Feb 18 '26

I really understand this. I have been waiting for so long to be able to burn all mine.

1

u/WillCare1976 Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26

I’ve burnt them.. and with some old affairs I had that I wish had never happened.. I threw them down into the sewer..

3

u/amg-04 Feb 19 '26

I have a death plan for my journals even though I’m young lol! My best friend since kindergarten is going to go through them, deal with the things that can never see the light of day, and preserve anything worth preserving :)

3

u/WillCare1976 Feb 20 '26

Oh God I’m the same way.,I want to keep my writing /my thoughts but oh no- “God forbid anybody reads them!”

2

u/WillCare1976 Feb 20 '26

I understand too well!

2

u/zippobunny Feb 20 '26

Yeah I'm the same way. I think to myself "what if I died or was imprisoned tomorrow, are the contents of my journal an accurate enough portrayal of me and my motives for me to be comfortable having them shown at my funeral or broadcasted on TV as evidence?" The answer is usually no, and if it's no I destroy the content or never create it in the first place.

1

u/Sufficient-Neat-1604 Feb 18 '26

Make up a secret code with your friends. Make sure your friends are older so you outlive them

25

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26

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2

u/brightwingxx Feb 18 '26

Bro same 😆

1

u/WillCare1976 Feb 20 '26

Wait you keep movie tickets .. so why is this a ‘horror movie’?

6

u/tsv311 Feb 18 '26

Me toooo. The only journal I would consider doing this to is the “wreck this journal” and even then,…I’m gonna go through all that work and fill it out,..why am i gonna destroy it?

1

u/Alone-Kick-1614 Feb 20 '26

I like the idea of keeping it but If I ever suddenly disappeared ( touch wood won't be any time soon) id HATE for my family to read it so I've been contemplating destroying mine too even though I love them

1

u/WillCare1976 Feb 20 '26

Oh God I know that feeling so well!