Getting rid of old diaries and picutres.

[MamitaM]

I just read in another thread about getting rid of a diary,how is this done? My thoughts are very private and I wouldn't want strangers at the recycling center to be able read anything that was written and I wouldn't  want to even rip it all up myself before tossing it into the recycle bin,they'd still be able to read it. I don't have any way to burn them either since I live in an apartment with no back yard,I suppose I could have tossed them all into the small fire that started last night during my fudge making ;)

Also I'm afraid I may regret it though I haven't read these books in years and most of the writing is actually very scribbly and hard to understand. Maybe I'm ready to get rid of the box of old diaries and make room for new memories.

[clutterwarrior]

Yep that was me who threw out my old diary...I realised that there was no way I wanted to keep that diary, although it had a beautiful cover, there was no way I ever wanted anyone to read it.  First I was only going to throw out the pages I wrote on, so I tore them out and then shredded them to little bits, put them in the rubbish bin with the food scraps. Then I realised there wasn't much point keeping the half mangled diary so I tossed that too!

I think if it something you are worried about people reading, then no, don't recycle the paper...put it out with the food scraps tied in a bag. Unless you are a celebrity, it is highly unlikely anyone is going to go through your food scraps.

It's not like you would normally do this, so I don't think you need to worry too much about not recycling the paper in this one instance!

[zebra15]

I shredded mine (we have a paper shredder).  It was very VERY liberating!

[clutterwarrior]

Originally Posted by zebra15 

I shredded mine (we have a paper shredder).  It was very VERY liberating!

I found it liberating too...I thought I would feel guilty after but I felt so light!

[cyclamen]

I really like throwing away old diaries... I have couple from the last ten years but nothing before htat.  I find that once enough time has passed for me to want to throw it away, it doesn't really matter to me if someone finds it and reads it.  But you can also throw them in a bucket of water and it will make the ink run.  Won't work for pencil tho- then I would do the food scraps idea.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

I've been considering this.   I have a little Rubbermaid bin in the basement with 6 or 7 journals in it from grade school up to mid-college.  The grade school ones are cute, but once I got into high school, I wrote about a lot of dark and unhappy things.  I met my future DH at that time, and with an age difference of 11 years between us (which resulted in family disapproval, drama with my friends, and lots of soul-searching), I had a lot of inner turmoil.  I read through a bit of one a month or so back...  And especially taking into account that I only wrote when I was unhappy, it's really not something I want to relive.

But, I was also impressed by how much I've grown and changed in the past 10 years (DH too, assuming I represented him accurately).  I was young and naive and angry, but I also had some flashes of insight that were pretty amazing.  I keep wondering if I should set aside a day or two and really go through them one last time before I burn them.  They are certainly not something I want my children to read, so I know I'll be disposing of them eventually.

My mom brought a few of hers on a backpacking trip we took together.  One night, she tossed them onto the campfire.  She'd been waiting for years and years to do it.  I remember being a little sad that I would never be able to read about her in her own words after she died.  But they are her own private thoughts, and obviously I completely respect her right to do with her journals as she pleases!  I just wish that I had journals from my grandmother or great-grandmother that I could use to learn about them, their lives, and their feelings. Although I suppose if they're anything like mine, they wouldn't be an accurate representation at all anyways...

[Ellien C]

I think a lot of the usefulness in journaling comes from the writing it out once - not necessarily the re-reading. I think what you throw out depends on how you'll feel when you read it. Will it show you how far you've come? Or will it just remind you of something better left in the past? 

[MamitaM]

I may ask a friend if her freplace works and if it does if she and another friend would liek to have a burning ceremony. Or I'll ask if she has a shredder that I can borrow and shred my pages. 

[clutterwarrior]

Quote:

Originally Posted by diana_of_the_dunes 
 Although I suppose if they're anything like mine, they wouldn't be an accurate representation at all anyways...

This is exactly why I chose to destroy mine...reading through my anxious ramblings at the time, one would be tempted to conclude I was slightly crazy!  Which is not entirely accurate!!  

I was using my diary to work through feelings, but they were ones I have since resolved, and nobody else needs to know my thoughts of the time. 

[Logan]

Thanks for this thread! I just started a thread a few days ago about going through all my sentimental stuff. After claiming wholeheartedly in that thread that the journals are the only thing I know for sure I will never get rid of, I am having serious second thoughts! I sat and read through pages of one them the other day. I always had this image that one day my kids would read them all and see all my adventures and the story of my life etc. And I have a terrible memory so I thought they were the only way I would remember everything that really happened clearly. But reading through them was really hard. I cant believe that person was me. My priorities were so horrible and man, the mistakes I have made along the way! The person writing is so far from who I am now. I dont think I would want anyone to read them, EVER. And I am in a place which is moving forward from the past and Im not sure I should take them with me. I wonder if one day I would regret that when I am a wise old lady () and can appreciate them and treasure them. But at the moment even I don't want to read about who I was back then.

Those who have destroyed them, how did you know you were ready? And did you have any regrets??   

[Turquesa]

For me, too, by golly! 

Originally Posted by zebra15 

I shredded mine (we have a paper shredder).  It was very VERY liberating!

[MamitaM]

I talked to my friend and she's into having a nice little burning party when her fireplace is cleaned out and ready to work better! To bad it wasn't before the new year though,oh well.

I feel that I might be ready b/c I just had a baby and that part of my life is over now. I'm not getting rid of everything from my past,just my journals. They are mostly full of pain and anger and a lot of confusion.

[PeacefulSeams]

I purged mine a few weeks ago. I have a fireplace so I burned them all. I got rid of clutter and found a useful way to use them. I did tear out any pictures I sketched and all my poetry....I have a very large book that I keep my poetry and sketches in. Very nice gift from my sis.

[clutterwarrior]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MamitaM 
They are mostly full of pain and anger and a lot of confusion.

Ditto here.  I am so glad to be a completely different person from who I was then....I feel like I literally don't even know that person any more.

[Koalamom]

Originally Posted by Logan 

Thanks for this thread! I just started a thread a few days ago about going through all my sentimental stuff. After claiming wholeheartedly in that thread that the journals are the only thing I know for sure I will never get rid of, I am having serious second thoughts! I sat and read through pages of one them the other day. I always had this image that one day my kids would read them all and see all my adventures and the story of my life etc. And I have a terrible memory so I thought they were the only way I would remember everything that really happened clearly. But reading through them was really hard. I cant believe that person was me. My priorities were so horrible and man, the mistakes I have made along the way! The person writing is so far from who I am now. I dont think I would want anyone to read them, EVER. And I am in a place which is moving forward from the past and Im not sure I should take them with me. I wonder if one day I would regret that when I am a wise old lady () and can appreciate them and treasure them. But at the moment even I don't want to read about who I was back then.

Those who have destroyed them, how did you know you were ready? And did you have any regrets??   

I am feeling the same way.  I have so many stories as a teen that are of me running around dating and I sound like a totally different person who I cant stand, but I wonder if my daughter may want to read about her flirty mom some day.  And through out the journals, I have family stories so i may just pick through the 20 journals I have and make one or two special ones.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1 

I am feeling the same way.  I have so many stories as a teen that are of me running around dating and I sound like a totally different person who I cant stand, but I wonder if my daughter may want to read about her flirty mom some day.  And through out the journals, I have family stories so i may just pick through the 20 journals I have and make one or two special ones.

Yeah that's what I am thinking of doing now, just writing down in point form all the important stuff that happened/facts etc. The rest just seems meaningless now. But there are a lot of things that happened that I dont remember well over time and I think they are important as they shaped who I am. I will defintely do it on my computer though so that I dont have any papers to worry about  
 

[Teensy]

Ack!  You people are freaking me out.  As much as I love to declutter, I can't imagine getting rid of diaries.    No way.

But, we all come from different perspectives - one of my favorite parts of MDC is seeing how differently people view topics.

Have great fun with your burning party!  

[SomethingAnonymous]

A couple of days ago I destroyed 2 shoe boxes of letters, cards, pictures, 2 full binders of notes from a high school boyfriend, and 2 journals.

It was great! I realized they weren't making me happy.  Looking at them only made me angry when I read about things I had long forgotten or gotten over- reminding myself just made the emotions fresh again.  I think I know where 1 more is that I can shred tomorrow :)

Thanks for pointing out that one of the points of writing things out is to just write them out and resolve it and then move on.  Next time I write something, I think I will destroy it immediately after!

[*bejeweled*]

[catscharm74]

For items, such as diaries or papers that are personal, I had a ceremony of sorts. I said a nice prayer and then tossed them into a fire. : )  VERY liberating.