I was a faithful diarist as a child and as a teenager, and then only sporadically in my 20s, 30s and 40s.
If truth be told, I have used you all as my Dear Diary since June of 2012.
But late last year I began to miss the practise of writing it all down just for me. It seemed so cathartic; soul-spilling in some ways, mundane-capturing in others.
I have, from time to time, kept a small journal in my nightstand for noting all of the things I am grateful for. That has been a wonderful practise and it is has evolved from the typical rote "I am grateful for my friends and family" (which of course I am forever grateful for) to much more esoteric fare, such as being grateful for the way that the sunlight hit a certain tree that morning.
So in late December, off I trotted to the local bookshop and purchased myself a lovely diary:
I have been quite faithful to writing in it all month and it is nice to take the time to have a small remembrance of the day or to talk out something that is troubling me.
While I was at the bookshop, I spied this little gem:
Cook's One Line A Day is a variation of the company's One Line A Day, which assumes everyone can find the time to make note of one thing every single day.
I bought it as I thought it would be fun to track what I cooked when, and for whom.
You can see that earlier in the week I made homemade gnocchi, which was amazing by the way and enjoyed by Barry and I, our children, and our son's girlfriend, who is an honorary family member now.
I am thinking this will be very helpful for dinner party planning, as I am often wont to wonder if I've made the same thing before for a particular group of guests. Since one of my happiest ways of showing my friends and family how much I love them is by cooking for them, it is fun (for me) to track this kind of thing. Oh and it was $5 in the bargain bin!
Returning to writing in my diary daily is another step in reclaiming the full writer and person that I am. Some days I write 2 or 3 pages, some days I write a paragraph. But I always write.
I would love to hear whether or not you keep a diary and do you write in it daily or sporadically?
Since it is Miller Time, let's have a cocktail in honour of diaries, shall we?
F. Scott Fitzgerald liked a good cocktail AND he liked to keep a good diary.
His preferred cocktail was a Gin Rickey which, while undoubtedly more of a summer drink, might make us all feel a little more summer-like as we finally wave goodbye to January and prepare for Valentine month, or as my friend Brian has so-named it: FOREVUARY.
Gin Rickey
2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. lime juice
Top with club soda
Lime wheel
Pour gin and lime juice into a chilled highball glass filled with ice cubes. Top with club soda, and stir gently. Garnish with lime wheel. Serve with two straws.
So long January - you've been a cold task master!
Have a fabulous Friday and stay safe out there!
