How an Online Diary Changed My Life

    For a long time, I've always worried about losing things, I always want to keep things that could open a memory for me, which is why dates are important. Now let's pause and focus on something I just mentioned: memories. Memories are things I wish I could keep with me forever, I think almost everyone would or should think the same. So, one year ago, just 5 days before my birthday, I downloaded an app on my phone. It was a diary app called Penzu.

    Once I signed up, I started just expressing how I feel about the start of this, and then just described my day and the order of events that day. Ever since that day, I continued almost every day (of course), continuing to write what happened on my day at night. It did bore me sometimes when writing for some days, but I was glad to get them kept and recorded, just in case I wanted to look back at them. Plus, Penzu would even email me reminding me of journal entries I wrote exactly months ago. There were some days I would skip, but there were barely any, though some were registered to be written on different days because I didn't start writing them before 12 AM. But I still managed to keep track of almost every day since then, because I wanted to hold memories close with me.

    I'd usually describe my morning routine, then what I did in school, then the order of things I did at home or anywhere else outside of school. If it was a special day I'd throw in some exciting celebration statement in the first sentence. If there was a moment that really struck with me, I don't think I'd go too into detail with that, but I have been starting to do that. On school days, I'd try to note some particular thing that happened in one of the periods before lunch. If I signed up for something, bought, downloaded, or did something online content related, I'd mention that as well. As I said earlier, I was glad I was able to get them done with and keep them, for sometimes I'd randomly scroll through my journal entries and click on random ones to read and see what I did on those days.

    It doesn't matter if I highlighted good or bad moments, all I feel that is important when it comes to the diary is that I'm able to keep a memory of almost every day. I know it may make me look a too sensitive since I worry about losing things, but I see it as a good thing. I'd definitely recommend you all start using a diary to record moments of your life and how you felt on days if you haven't already.

So yeah, thanks to Penzu for changing my life, and thanks to everyone who read this to understand my story.

-Anthony "Salteh" S.