My daughter was asking yesterday. Do you keep two journals or one? She knew that I write daily in my journal. I responded that I have one for the day and one for capturing moments. I then went on to narrate a moment which I have captured in that ” Blue Diary ” gifted by my friend in 2012. It was on 21st August 2013. I have a habit of kissing my wife’s cheek before leaving for the office. On that day, seeing this, my second daughter, then two years old, came running to me and showed her cheek. I had written a memorable day in the diary. Today, when I was narrating this to my wife and daughter, that scene was playing out, and we felt so happy. No wonder sometimes I feel ” Happiness is what you remember“. Memories are timeless treasures of the heart, and that is what I have been capturing in that diary.
In the book “Diary of a Common Man,” the author demonstrates the power of looking at everyday life through a different lens. He makes it very personal and very informal. By sharing his own moments of reflection and insight, he shows how even the simplest experiences can lead to personal growth and self-discovery. The moment I read a bit of this book, I noticed that my collections from that Diary are good enough to share as a blog in the future. I have captured moments, challenges, frustrations, aspirations, principles and insights. In the same year, 2013, I had written about the concept of a ” Perfect Day“. My dream was to get up at 5 AM, read, jog, listen to audiobooks or speeches, enjoy your work, avoid snacking, have a light dinner, watch TV briefly, and speak to all in the family. I must admit that my wish was fulfilled during the pandemic when I used to wake up at 5 AM regularly.
In this diary, I am limiting myself to things and incidents I have captured in the year 2013. There is no denying that you have a certain affinity for some co-workers, particularly if you are the one who recruited them. I remember a call from such a person on 12th April 2013, when he was struggling to convey something. He told me that he wanted to quit. He had an excellent offer. For a moment, I was disturbed. Then I wondered why I wasn’t looking at better options? Why had I stopped dreaming? Later, I moved on, and that same day, I went through some articles on “my calling” and I remember hearing Jim Key’s winning speech, “Never too late“. It had a great message on ” Dreaming”. Dreaming is fun, Dreaming is natural, Dreaming is necessary.
I decided to download my old resume. Looked for people to help update it professionally, and I shared it with my circle of friends. 2013 was the year I wrote that I wanted to have an iPhone, travel to the US once, own a Honda City car and also move down south from Delhi. I realised that I had achieved all that within a few years.
Today, for the first time, I looked at the brand of the journal, and it was from ” Markings”. It was on September 16, 2012, that I started writing in that diary. It was about a speaking experience from a Toastmasters evaluation contest. It’s been 12 years, and I was adding one more incident to that diary yesterday. My now 14-year-old daughter shared her Instagram quotes on WhatsApp with me. I still capture some of the best quotes and lines in my diary. If there is one thing that runs through my RICH diary, it’s “follow your heart“. I also learned one important thing today after turning back those pages.
